Royal Brawler
by WritingBookworm
Summary: Princess Zelda, sick of the royal life in Hyrule, runs away to compete at the Smash Arena, where the best of the best fighters are and where Link supposedly is- and in the process finds herself falling for Link and uncovering a new plot against Hyrule.
1. Chapter 1: Runaway

**A/N: ... WHY did I start a new story again? Oh yeah, because my friend and I played Super Smash Brothers Brawl today, and I felt compelled suddenly to bgin writing an SSBB FanFic despite all the other current projects I'm working on. That, and I always didn't exactly like how Zelda was portrayed- as a weak, damsel in distress, almost no better than Princess Peach! So I decided that this was also an opprotunity to do just that for a change. **

**And yes, this will have a lot of LoZ elements. **

**So, disclaimer, I don't own SSBB or LoZ, I wish I did.**

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><p>Royal Brawler<p>

Chapter 1: Runaway

Branches crackled, small rocks slipped and twigs snapped as the horse ran over them, disturbing nature in its wake. Atop that horse was a girl of seventeen, sweat beading on her cloak-covered forehead.

This girl was the Princess Zelda of Hyrule. It had been a few years since the events concerning the Ocarina of Time, and since then she had started taking fighting lessons to make sure the same thing didn't happen to her again. Zelda began to become a warrior at heart, but this didn't go well with her duties as a Princess.

"Your Highness, you must at least _try_ to act like a lady!" said her maid, Elise, irritably. "You will not attract suitors if you continue this… this… this _fighting_!"

Zelda had found constant remarks like this increasing, and she had begun to be very annoyed by this. So finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She had to abandon her duties as a Princess. Zelda knew they'd go into a state of panic, but at the moment, she didn't care.

All that mattered was Link, the Hero of Time. He had gone some time ago, having received an invitation to fight in a famous rink- the Smash Arena.

The Smash Arena was a famous rink where the best of the best fighters in the world all came together and competed to see who could be called the best. Many spectators traveled just to see the competitors Brawl, despite the heavy price. To get in- Zelda tried not to think about how hard it would be to become a Brawler. All she knew was that the Smash Arena was her destination, and it was now her ambition to forget her troubles and be named a Brawler.

However, Zelda didn't leave completely unknown- she had left her handmaiden, Impa, with her location should she ever need her. Impa had protested at first, but Zelda had managed to convince her that Impa would do just fine without her and would hopefully be of help to Hyrule while Zelda was away for the time being.

Branches continued to lash out at her through the night, and Zelda's vision was beginning to fog up due to lack of sleep. Zelda felt her eyelids beginning to droop…

Zelda wasn't sure what made her snap awake suddenly, but she did, suddenly alert. She had to keep going, she wanted to get to the Smash Arena soon, get a good head start so that the guards and knights would have a hard time finding her. Zelda knew that the moment her maid discovered that her bedchamber was empty, that all of Hyrule would be sounded and suddenly on a mad alert for the lost Princess.

But once she thought of it, it would be wiser of her to get some rest, wouldn't it? It couldn't hurt, to just relax and fall asleep…

No. Zelda wouldn't have it, she had to keep going.

So for what seemed like eternity, Princess Zelda continued to ride on, wishing to find the Smash Arena and her friend Link soon.

A smile began to crawl on Zelda's face when her horse arrived at a small town at the dead of night. Her horse began to slow down to a trot and kicked dust in it's wake.

Zelda could barely see a misty outline of the town due to the time of day, but from what she could see even now, it was small, with numerous square-shaped buildings and a dusty road. Several buildings looked as if they were about to fall apart with one small cough from a fly, yet she could see a person or two wandering about, actually living here.

Zelda's blue eyes wandered aimlessly around the small, cramped town. Eventually she stumbled across a building and, if she squinted hard, Zelda could barely make out a rectangle sign reading, INN.

Zelda smiled lightly in relief as she swung her legs over and hopped down. Sure, she needed to get as far away from Hyrule as possible, but she had made great progress throughout the night. And dawn was beginning to edge its way closer and closer- she could feel it.

Zelda tethered the midnight-black horse to a pole and stroked the horse's mane afterwards. Zelda had to name it soon- the horse was deserving of it.

The Princess of Destiny thought about this for a moment, then smiled. "Twilight," she whispered softly.

The horse's head perked at the name, as if approving it.

Zelda's smile widened slightly. So Twilight was the horse's name.

She stroked Twilight's mane a little more. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon," soothed Zelda as if Twilight were crying. "Just try to get some sleep, okay?"

Twilight almost seemed like he was nodding, and immediately after that Twilight's eyelids dripped. Zelda could see Twilight's muscles relaxing as he slowly crumpled to the ground, exhausted.

Zelda watched Twilight with compassion. Twilight had done a great job tonight- he deserved the rest.

Zelda made sure that her black glove was firmly covering her Triforce Mark and pulled her hood over her head even more sharply, smoothing some auburn behind her shoulders even more. She could take no chances tonight.

Zelda heard the damp, wood door creak as she slowly pushed it open, alerting the attention of an innkeeper, faintly rousing. Zelda was greeted with the smell of rotten old wood.

Zelda rolled her back straight as she walked towards the innkeeper with quick steps. As she walked through the musty room, desperately trying to avoid the smell, her hand dug around in a rather large purple pouch for a moment before emerging with a few Rupees. Zelda wondered if the innkeeper would take them.

Zelda dumped the Rupees on the desk that supported the innkeeper's elbows. Judging from the way the lower half of the innkeeper's jaw drooped, this was more than normally expected.

Zelda dismissed this, though- the innkeeper probably needed it more than she did.

"A small room for one, please," Zelda requested. "For one night."

Still dazed by the money, the innkeeper meekly nodded before cupping the Rupees in his hand and pocketing them. In exchange, the innkeeper offered Zelda a small key that read _Room 17_ in cruelly inscribed letters.

After looking around the small inn for a moment, Zelda unlocked the room that had been offered to her- it looked like the rest of the inn, with a musty smell, peeling carpeting, a large mirror, two king-sized beds, a dresser, a book and a washbasin.

Zelda scrunched her nose upwards as she flipped her hood off her head and took a brief look in the mirror. Staring back at her was a tall, beautiful Princess of seventeen, with long, majestic auburn hair flowing down to her back, adorned with two small braids on either side of her face. Her forehead was below a gold tiara with a sapphire embedded in them, and her long, pointed ears stuck out wildly. Black gloves unveiled white, silk long ones that stretched past her elbow. She was wearing a long, flowing dress, the skirt white with a tapestry-shaped sash hanging down on it, bearing the Triforce Mark. The torso was colored a rich purple, and her shoulders were covered with golden armguards. A rich, golden necklace hung down at her neck and a sword, designed to be ceremonial but efficient enough in battle, hung at her side.

Zelda smiled at her appearance as she threw down her cloak. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply from her diaphragm, then swung her long arms around her body, and in turn felt hot energy gathering around her- magic. Zelda's ears twitched slightly when she heard a faint chime-like sound, then she felt the energy seep away.

Zelda opened her eyes, and the auburn Princess was no longer standing before her. Replacing her was a slim body in a light blue suit, patched up and bandaged in numerous places. At the chest was placed the Shiekah Symbol- a red eye with a teardrop hanging from it. Her fingers were wrapped around in various linen pieces, and a wrap was placed strategically around her mouth. Cold, blood-red eyes stared almost hauntingly back at her, and long blonde hair was braided. Bangs seeped out from under a linen headpiece.

Sheik.

Under the wrap, a smile curled slowly on Sheik's face. Sheik would use this ego when entering the Smash Arena- she knew they already weren't so keen to let a girl in, let alone a Princess. So the best she could do was disguise as Sheik, an alter-ego of hers that had come very useful while in hiding from Ganondorf for several years.

Despite herself, Sheik shivered when thinking about Ganondorf, the King of Evil. He had been merciless, at first disguising himself and playing along in the Hylian Court. But Sheik, as Zelda, had received dreams about Ganondorf's true intentions to take over Hyrule, and had been able to see through his ploy. But when she attempted to tell her father about this, he would not believe her. The only one Zelda had been able to trust in was in Link, a Kokiri boy she had happened to meet.

Eventually, Ganondorf had shown his true colors, killed the King of Hyrule, and had taken over her country. Because of this, with Impa's help, Zelda had taken on the ego of Sheik and dove undercover. For seven years she had been able to hide from Ganondorf's grasp while Link, apparently the Hero of Time, had slept dormant.

When Link finally awakened, Sheik had accompanied him to free the other Sages, eventually revealing her identity as Zelda to him. But not a moment after, Ganondorf had captured Zelda and whisked her away to his castle. Fortunately, Link had arrived, battled Ganondorf, freed Zelda and saved Hyrule from evil. To stop this all from happening, Zelda had used the Ocarina of Time afterwards to send Link back to his original time and make up for his seven lost years.

But Zelda had decided that she didn't want to be helpless again. So she had taken herself up to fighting while Link was away, which led up to this whole situation.

Sheik closed her eyes, swung her arms around again, and felt that same energy enclosing around her as it had for her earlier. When it faded, she saw Zelda portrayed in the mirror once more.

Zelda then quickly crossed to her bed, adorning the cloak on again and pulling the hood over her head- just in case. Zelda felt herself enveloped in the warmth of the blankets, smiling as she thought about what it would be like at the Smash Arena- and at the prospect of seeing Link again.

Slowly Zelda closed her eyes and quickly found herself surrendering to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2: Red Aura

**A/N: Wow, thanks for the two reviews! Seriously- that's actually the most I've gotten on one chapter, believe it or not.**

**Anyways, looking back on it, I kinda do think that the first chapter wasn't too good- despite my satisfaction abou there finally being a fic where Zelda wants to fight and stuff, it was a complete personality switch from Zelda, seeing as she's the Triforce of Wisdom and stuff and wouldn't be likely to make that decision at all. And I also realized that in Ocarina of Time, which this is following, that Zelda's hair color is blonde and I'm following the Zelda who's auburn... luckily I was able to get that small problem taken care of. **

**I now also think that I've got most of the plot outlined- a lot of it, at least. I actually do know where I'm heading now, and I really hope that no one else had my idea... which I'll tell you more about. I'm telling this in case if the Red Aura thing seems out of the blue in the plot- trust me, it's not. It's a key factor in the story.**

**Oh! And I also forgot to mention, this is the first chapter where non-Hylian Brawlers are mentioned! :D I'm still at a loss of what to do for Ganondorf... I mean, he is a Brawler, but he kinda took over Hyrule and stuff, so... **

**I'm also really anxious about whether this fight scene was good, especially since this is a fighting-oriented story and such. I'm really hoping it's good, I studied SSBB fighting styles and tried to incorperate them into the FanFic... **

**I think I should shut up now. This is my longest A/N, afte all... **

**So, enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter 2: Red Aura<p>

The next morning when Zelda woke up, she had to squint to see past the thin strings of light weaving through the small window and pointing at her.

Reluctantly and groggily, Zelda slowly heaved herself up, then mustered strength inside of her to stand up and stretch. Eyes still adjusting to the new day, her eyes threatened to close before she flapped water from the basin onto her face. Zelda found it easier to stay awake with water dripping down her face.

After quickly drying herself off with a holed towel, Zelda thought about Hyrule. Looking back on it, had she really been so wise to leave her duties just to find a friend and fight in a rink? Who knew what could happen in Hyrule without her!

But the damage was done, there was no turning back. And besides, Impa was one of the Sevem Sages- surely she'd at least know a bit on how to run a country just for a while, wouldn't she?

Zelda smoothed all creases in the flimsy, dark brown cloak before pulling the hood tightly onto her auburn head. Zelda wondered if Link would be able to recognize her with brown hair instead of blonde- she had dyed it before she left the castle so there would be a fairer chance of her not being seen.

Link most likely would recognize her- wouldn't he? After all, he was one of Zelda's closest friends and confidantes and vice versa. And if Link didn't recognize her, surely he'd be able to identify Sheik on the spot.

Zelda tied her sword to her belt once again and collected the few possessions she had before exiting the room. This time, a new smell mixed in with the musty one- a fresh, steaming smell. Breakfast, perhaps?

Zelda eagerly traced the smell to a small kitchen. A long bar offered varieties of breakfast foods- apples, pancakes, muffins, any kind of breakfast. Throught the room small, wooden tables were assorted on the creaking wooden floorboard, and another small window spun light throughout. The only inhabitants other than her was a young woman in an apron looking after the food and two men sitting next to each other, their chatter fading in and out of Zelda's ears.

Zelda looked hungrily at the choices, and for a moment she felt strangely unsatisfied. Back at Hyrule Castle they had provided breakfast better- usually at least twice as the amount and Zelda was willing to bet her throne that it also tasted mounds better.

Zelda growled mentally at herself. Get used to it, she scolded.

In the end, Zelda carefully selected a few muffins and fruits before paying the Rupees. The woman had eyed her a little suspiciously- at first, Zelda's throat had stiffened a little in fear that she would be exposed. But when her hawk-like eyes flew down to the food, Zelda realized that she must have gotten more food than normal- of course.

Zelda breathed a small sigh of relief once the woman in the apron had left. Quickly she was able to distract herself from this rather close call as she began pocketing the majority of the food into the pouch. Once there was an apple and two blueberry muffins left, Zelda pulled on the thick, golden rope drawstrings, closed it, and hooked it back onto her belt.

Zelda gathered the remaining food in her hand and carried it to one of the tables. But no sooner had she sunk her teeth into one of the muffins did the mens' conversation finally tune in.

"-missing, they say," a drawling voice said. He sounded as if he were speaking through his teeth. "Hyrule's gonna blow i'self to bi's if she's not found sooner or later."

"An unfortunate shame for Hyrule," the second man shook his head slowly. "At least it ain't concerning us- our noble land of Altea is much better than ol' Hyrule."

"Won'er what it'd be like if Prince Marth dis'ppeared," the first man remarked.

The second man chuckled at the idea. "Marth's alreadly gone- don't you remember? He left to fight in the Smash Arena for a bit." Zelda felt a stab of guilt, "And he actually got in."

Zelda hoped that she was remaining calm as she loaded apples and muffins with an almost trembling hand.

"A' least they know where 'e is," the first man rolled his eyes. "Pers'n'ly, I think that Princess Zelda's got'n herself into a hab't of gettin' herself kidnapped."

Zelda clenched a fist at the memory as she left the room.

Almost immediately she bolted outside to see Twilight stirring. Twilight's beady eyes seemed to settle on Zelda's hip...

Suddenly Zelda knew what had gotten the horse awake. Zelda smiled lightly as she took out one of the apples from her pouch and offered it to the horse.

Twilight sniffed it, as if not believing it were a real apple at first. But he began to trust it as he began to nibble on it, reluctantly at first, then devoured it eagerly as it pretty much swallowed the entire apple whole.

Zelda giggled at Twilight's fondness of apples, until Twilight suddenly stopped chewing and his pointed ears rose, suddenly on alert.

Following that, a scream rung through the small town. "No, don't!"

Zelda's head turned around to see a small girl running away from something, black hair whipping in the wind and her legs jolted out one after the other. She drew in deep, calming breaths and looked back over her shoulder repeatedly.

The girl finally screamed again and ran harder as a blood-red outline came into view. "My brother's crazy!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

It was then that Zelda could see what the outline was- a teenage boy with a broad, red aura bordering his body. His eyes gleamed wickedly at the little girl, and in his hands he held a large butcher knife.

Zelda's eyes enlarged. That guy... he was trying to kill the girl, wasn't he? Zelda had to do something- if she could help other people than she would be able to help herself. But not in this state...

Praying that no one was watching her, Zelda closed her eyes as the familiar transforming magic surrounded her. Sweat sprouted on her forehead, and half of that anxiety was relieved when she felt the magic dying down.

Sheik drew in a deep breath as she unattatched the cloak and threw it on Twilight's back. "I'll be back in a moment," Sheik muttered under her cloth.

Sheik's red eyes swung to the girl, who seemed to be doing reasonably well and at the boy with the red aura slowly advancing on her. But Sheik was horror-struck when she witnissed the girl tripping over her own feet and the boy quickly advancing on her.

Instinctively, Sheik drew a handful of needles from her pouch as the boy was no more than a yard away from her, pulled her arm back, then flung all the needles at once to the boy.

Just as he had reached the girl, the boy immediately spun around as he felt sharp needles pierce his back, and he hunched down over briefly in pain. This momentary distraction gave Sheik time not only to run up to the boy, but to ready more needles as well.

By the time the boy had recovered, Sheik had placed her body protectively over the little girl and looked aggressively at the boy.

"Leave her alone!" Sheik warned.

In response, the boy merely chuckled, amused, while his fingers tightened maliciously on the knife.

Sheik looked over to the girl quickly. "Run," she breathed to the girl. "Run as fast as you can, I'll take care of him."

But the girl seemed too scared to act anymore, rooted to the spot by her own fear.

Now the boy had an advantage. He rammed into Sheik once more, and the girl took a step back and shrieked again. Sheik's head narrowly dodged a punch from the boy, and Sheik swung her body under the boy's arm and drove a fist into his stomach, quickly followed by a knee into his special place.

The boy took a step back in shock, earning Sheik yet another opprotunity. Sheik aimed a flurry of rapid punches at the boy, who slowly backed away. Finally when he broke from Sheik's grip, he kneeled to the ground and roundhoused Sheik's feet, tripping her.

Sheik watched as the knife advanced on her, but at the last second, Sheik closed her eyes, quick to use magic. Sheik heard a ringing sound as she felt her body travelling mentally through space, now behind the boy's back suddenly. From the looks of it, she had narrowly missed the butcher knife.

Sheik readied a long chain and flung it around the boy's waist, taking him aback and pulling the boy to herself. Now she had a firm grip on the boy once again and performed another series of quick attacks. As a result, the boy drew in ragged gasps of shock and overworking, meekly raising his arms up to defend himself. He grunted as he threw the butcher knife at Sheik.

Sheik broke her grip from the boy, backflipping as she saw the knife sailing way past into the air.

The boy used Sheik's distraction to his advantage and pulled Sheik down to the ground, uppercutting her in the jaw before punching her forehead. Sheik frantically swung her legs at the boy's buttocks, and finally it hit him, knocking him down to the ground.

Sheik placed a hand firmly on the boy's chest to hold him down. The boy thrashed wildly, which was almost enough to distract Sheik from seeing a bright, triangle-shaped light on her palm growing as red energy began to swirl up her hand. At the same time, the red aura from the boy began to seep away, as if he were being drained of it. The boy's eyelids began to droop slightly as his efforts to resist gradually decreased as more red energy began to rise. Finally, the red energy seeped away completely, and his eyes rolled back into his head while all his muscles relaxed.

Sheik straightened her back, watching the swirling red energy dance around her forearm for a brief moment. Suddenly it tore itself away from Sheik's arm, and Sheik traced the energy away as it fled from her, past the girl, and out of the town.

Sheik turned her attention back to the boy, who seemed to be drained of color.

Finally the girl spoke. "Is... is Matic... is he... dead?" the girl wimpered the last part.

Sheik bent down again and placed a palm on the boy's, Matic's, forehead. As if that were triggering something, Matic gave a low, strained moan.

The girl sighed in relief. "Oh, good. I'm glad to see he's safe."

"You seem to know him," Sheik remarked.

The girl nodded quickly. "Oh yes- Matic is my older brother," the girl explained. "Our parents died a while ago, you see, and Matic was of age to take me in. Matic cared about me a lot, you see, it seems like I'm his favorite sibling, ya know? We live in a rather small house, but we never go hungry or anything and we live pretty good. But this morning, Matic suddenly... changed." The girl flinched at the memory. "He just didn't seem like himself, and I could see this very faint, reddish glow around him- it's now gone, I think. I was just asking if he was okay, then suddenly Matic attacked me! I was able to run out of the house, you know... I think that red glow is gone now. I'm Aliah," the girl added as an afterthought.

Sheik looked from Aliah from Matic silently. Aliah had said he cared for her a lot... so why the erratic change in behavior?

As if reading Sheik's mind, Aliah added, "Matic seemed almost possessed, really. Oh look, he's stirring!"

Aliah scampered over to Matic, shaking him eagerly. "Matic, Matic?" she shook. "You hanging in there?"

Matic's eyes slowly opened, a bright vivid blue locking with violet ones. "Aliah..." Matic murmered.

Aliah grinned broadly as Matic observed his surroundings, confused. Matic scrunched his eyebrows slowly, in thought. "Whe... what happened?"

"You tell me," Aliah replied in what was supposed to be somewhat hostiliy, but it came out gleefully. "What do you remember?"

Matic reached into his mind slowly, and Sheik looked at the pair almost hungerily. "I... I remember waking up to something, I guess," Matic slowly recited. "It was this red light... then suddenly it flew up to me, and I felt this kind of pain stab through me... I sorta blacked out after that."

So Matic had been possessed, Sheik observed. If Matic genuinally couldn't seem to remember that, it was easy to see that.

But the real question was... by what?

Then Sheik suddenly remembered when she had placed her palm on Matic's chest. The Triforce Mark had seemed to glow, and whatever had been possessing him had left his body, as if being cured from an infection. Apparently the Triforce Mark seemed to have an ability to cure it.

Sheik snapped out of her thinking when Aliah pointed brightly to her. "That girl seemed to cure you, almost, when you were attacking me."

Aliah stood up and crossed over to Sheik. "Speaking of which, I forgot to say thanks," Aliah bowed respectfully. "What's your name?"

Sheik found her mouth almost beginning to say 'Zelda', but quickly caught herself. "Sheik," she said simply.

Aliah nodded. "Well, thanks a lot, Sheik."

Matic seemed to be recovering a bit. "Aliah... was I really trying to kill you?" Matic asked, shock revolving around his voice unsteadily.

Meekly, Aliah nodded and pointed to the abandoned butcher knife laying alone in the sandy road.

Matic paled in horror. "Oh, Aliah-" Matic desperately tried to apologize as his breathing traveled down a winding and turning road anxiously. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know... I'm sorry... I can't believe myself... are you harmed... so sorry..."

Aliah patted Matic's shoulder reassuringly. "Hey, it's okay," she soothed. "I'm not harmed, and it wasn't you, I promise."

Matic's breathing seemed to steady slowly.

Once again, Aliah turned back to Sheik. "You know, is there anything I can do for you?" Aliah asked hopefully. "You did save mine and Matic's life- there's gotta be something we can do!"

Sheik smiled at the young girl, but shook her head. "Thanks, but I need to get going. I'm heading to the Smash Arena, you see," Sheik explained.

"Oh! The Smash Arena?" Aliah's eyes sparkled when Sheik had brought up her destination. "Awesome! Those tickets are really heavy... I heard that the next Brawl is gonna be in two days. Fox versus Meta Knight, I think. You're gonna go see the match?"

"Actually, I'm going to try to become a Brawler myself," Sheik admitted, uplifted by Aliah's admiration.

The idea of Sheik becoming a Brawler excited Aliah. "Oh, awesome!" she cried. "If you make it in, Matic and I will be sure to come and see you! And I think you have a good chance of getting in- I watched you fight. You're really amazing!"

Sheik smiled broadly at the compliment under her cloth.


	3. Chapter 3: Arrival

**A/N: Wow, thank you so much for the support on this story! If amount of reviews were to decide, this would be by far the best story of mine. Thank you TwilightWakerofTime, InkWoven, PsychComposer and Eternal Nocturne! **

**I've now got all the plot laid out, and I like where this is heading. However, again, despite this being an SSBB story, the plot will have so many Legend of Zelda elements. A lot of them. So... yeah. I'm also going away for three days starting on Thursday, so don't kill me if I don't have Chapter 4 in by then. XD**

**So, enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter 3: Arrival<p>

At long last, Zelda could make out a speck in the distance.

After the battle with Matic, Aliah and Matic had invited Zelda as Sheik over to their house for a small time, where Sheik had reluctantly taken their services for a night. When Sheik had to go, Aliah had been quick to provide Sheik a satchel of food that thankfully included a lot more than apples.

Zelda smiled as she finished off one of Aliah's pastries. For most of the journey to Smash City, Zelda had rode as Zelda- despite all the clothing Zelda wore, she found it more comfortable than riding Twilight with Sheik. Zelda supposed she was just more used to it.

Zelda's eyes keenly inspected the town around her now- a gleaming metropolis, with silvery buildings reaching to the sky and illuminated by the bright sunlight.

A smile tugged on Zelda's face. Smash City was very nice- but yet again, that's what a city should be if it's a connection to all other lands.

Zelda's pulled on Twilight's reigns suddenly when she saw a ball bounce in her direction and a kid scampering up to it afterwards. After that, Zelda rode on, looking at everything she saw in Smash City- especially the posters.

Everywhere Zelda looked there seemed to be a poster or some kind of advertisement for the Smash Arena, which she still couldn't see. True to Aliah's word, a poster displayed two people- the one pictured on the left was a smart looking brown fox dressed modernly, holding a gun level with his shoulder. The one on the right was a stout but fierce looking being- the body was pretty much a ball, masked by a knight's helmet and yellow eyes gleaming intently at the viewer. In one of his gloved hands he held a gold, lethal looking sword. At the bottom of the poster Zelda read in white, boldened and italiced letters, FOX VS META KNIGHT. At the top Zelda read JULY 17th AT THE SMASH ARENA.

Zelda had to ride on for a couple more minutes until she could finally see it- a gleaming, gold, dome-like building sparkling in the sun. The Smash Arena.

Zelda knew it was time to change quickly once she saw the Smash Arena loom into view. Anxiously Zelda looked around for a kind of stable that could take care of Twilight should Zelda make it into the Arena. After riding for a few minutes, Zelda spotted a building that looked smaller than other towering buildings with stables next to it.

Zelda swung her legs off of Twilight's black mane and landed on the sidewalk. Zelda turned to Twilight and soothed her arms down to signal to him that she'd be back in a moment. She then turned sharply on her heel and walked into the building.

It was empty, just like the inn at Aliah and Matic's town. Zelda smiled somewhat wearily and requested, "I have a horse that may need to stay a night here… can you take him in for at least one night?"

The stable mistress eyed her. "What money do you have?"

Hopefully Rupees would work in Smash City. Zelda opened her silk pouch and freed a few Rupees from it. Zelda turned her hand over and dumped them on the table, praying that they would work.

The stable mistress examined each one of them closely before deciding that they were legal. "Stable 12," she gruffly said. "Come back and pay more if you want your horse to stay."

Zelda nodded before leaving the building.

She sighed as she led Twilight to the stables, whose dark eyes darted about uneasily. When Zelda had opened one of the stables, Twilight neighed offensively.

Zelda smiled wearily. "Don't worry- as soon as I find another place for you to stay you'll be out of here," Zelda attempted to sooth as she led Twilight into the stable.

Almost reluctantly Zelda slid the panel, locking Twilight in. Twilight's eyes pleaded with Zelda for a bit. Not able to stand the pain, Zelda tore her gaze away from Twilight and quickly crossed outside.

Zelda looked around, trying to make sure no one was watching now. She walked around Smash City for some time before finding a small, deserted alleyway that no one seemed to be paying attention to.

Once Zelda was positive that no one was watching, she closed her eyes before swinging her arms around, energy enclosing on her, the familiar chime being heard slightly. The energy broke with a small zing once Zelda looked around the lower half of her body- sure enough, it was different.

Zelda emerged out of the alleyway as Sheik, hoping no one would notice the change or get suspicious.

The walk to the Smash Arena was somewhat long, and Sheik almost quivered under the harsh glances Smash City residents threw at her. The hot sun settled mercilessly on Sheik's back, and under the suit Sheik felt herself almost boiling. It was quite a relief when Sheik arrived to the front of the golden Smash Arena.

People were swarming around it. A pair of double doors hosted the same poster Sheik had seen all over the place, and right next to that were multitudes of ticket booths, all of which were crowded. Who should she talk to in order to get in…

Sheik quickly decided on talking to one of the people behind the ticket booths. Standing in line behind all those people took almost forever, as the Smash Arena was very popular for its matches, but it was worth it once it was Sheik's turn.

"How many tickets?" the man asked monotonely.

"Actually, I'm here to become a Brawler," Sheik explained.

The man's breathing snagged, and he looked around at the line before leaning in to Sheik. "Look- we already have a lot of Brawlers," he told Sheik. "And we're already busy as it is hosting the next match-"

"You're always hosting matches," Sheik pointed out.

"True enough," the man quickly admitted, "but even so, it is dangerous to become a Brawler. There are a few people that have gotten killed in matches- and they were experienced people."

Sheik flinched slightly when she remembered the newspaper article a year or two back that said Dr. Mario had been accidentally killed by Solid Snake in one of the matches. "I can handle it," Sheik insisted, hoping that the man had noticed no pause.

"Look, kid- it's really nice that you want to become a Brawler," the man said. "It really is- but the thing is, without a recommendation, it is very hard for inexperienced people-"

"You're calling me inexperienced?" Sheik clenched hands into fists. "Oh my Goddesses. Look, if you don't let me in, I'll show you how experienced I-"

"Sheik?"

Sheik spun around, her red eyes bulging when she saw a boy in his late teens standing in shock. He was dressed mainly in green- a green tunic, green-white leggings, leather boots that reached not quite to his knees, and a green, sock-like cap was placed on his blonde head. The sheathed Master Sword was strapped to his chest, and sky-blue eyes gleamed at her.

Link.

Sheik smiled insanely under the cloth, her heart fluttering in multiple directions. Before she could stop herself, she felt herself running up to him and embracing him. "Link! So nice to see you again!"

Then Sheik realized what she was doing, and immediately she felt her forehead and cheeks heat up. Mortally embarrassed, Sheik quickly broke apart from Link, not daring to meet his eyes. "Heh… sorry."

Thankfully, before Link could say anything about it, the man in the ticket booth turned to Link. "You know this kid?" he inquired.

Link veraciously nodded his head. "Oh yes!" Link answered simply. "Z-Sheik and I have been friends for a long time- we share a history together."

Sheik couldn't believe her luck as the man looked up to the top of the ticket booth thoughtfully. "Would you say that this kid, Sheik, is an at least exceptionally good fighter?"

Link looked almost offended by that question. "Exceptionally?" Link repeated in disbelief. "Exceptionally? Sheik is a very good fighter- one of the best I've seen, at least." Then Link's smile vanished as he knitted his eyebrows together. "Wait… why?"

"I'm trying to become a Brawler, just like you," Sheik quickly explained. "It was a bit painful for me to… leave, but if I get to be a Brawler and fight here, it'll all be worth it."

For a moment, Link looked shocked that she would leave her country in order to become a fighter, but that transformed into a smile as Sheik went along. "You're going to become a Brawler? Awesome!" Link turned back to the man in the ticket booth. "That is the case… right?"

The man hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, it is, now that she's been recommended by you. Take her to see Krystal."

Link looked back to Sheik, waving his hand in a gesture to the door that said plainly, "Com'on".

The lobby was at least exceptionally large. The carpet had separate colors mixed into it, but all in all it displayed black. The sky-high walls were painted a bright gold and several tapestries of Fox and Meta Knight hung. A huge main desk screamed that was the place where you could redeem tickets, with a glass overhead the desk.

"So who's Krystal?" Sheik inquired.

"She's a friend of Fox's," Link explained. "Krystal's in charge of the new recruits, really. When you first meet her she's really harsh and strict, which, well, she is, but if you get to know her over time she shows a softer side."

"A friend of Fox?" Sheik raised an eyebrow. "So is Krystal a fox or vixen?"

"Yeah. Anyway-" Link began as he spun around abruptly. "You're still Zelda, right?"

In response, after making sure no one but Link was seeing her, Sheik closed her eyes and felt the energy mix around her, shifting body parts slightly. When it was done, it decapitated and revealed the Princess of Hyrule.

"You dyed your hair," Link noted.

Zelda chuckled. "May as well. Can't be spotted as the Princess at all."

"But… why?" Link asked. "You left Hyrule-"

"So I could fight here and see you," Zelda calmly explained.

"But you left Hyrule for it?" Link exclaimed.

"Relax, Impa's there," Zelda reasoned. "She's the Shadow Sage after all, she could know a thing or two about running a country. And I've left her with my location if Hyrule's ever in any danger."

Link drank this all in, slowly seeing Zelda's reasoning. "Well… why'd you come to fight here?"

"Simple," Zelda said. "I don't want to be as helpless as I was when Ganondorf kidnapped me. I need to learn to fight- people will be after me, as I have the Triforce of Wisdom."

"I can defend you," Link suggested.

Zelda smiled wearily. "Thanks, but… what if you're not there?" When Link took too long to try to find something to say to that, she continued. "You've been here for the past year or so- what if someone had tried to assault me?"

Suddenly Link looked horrified. "Oh, Zelda, I'm so-"

Zelda giggled, somewhat amused. "Hey, it's okay," she said simply. "Anyways- that's why I want to try to protect myself. It's always really nice to have you there with me, but what if I'm alone?"

Link didn't say anything for a few moments. "Well… I guess I can see your point." Link admitted.

"Hey, you try getting kidnapped," Zelda pointed out.

"You try being the one that always has to save people," Link teased.

Zelda laughed, considering this. "True." Then her smile faded. "So, anyways," Zelda closed her eyes, swung her arms, and felt the magic swirling around her- when it broke, she could feel herself emerge into Sheik's body.

"Where's Krystal?" Sheik asked.

"Just over there," Link pointed to a door over his shoulder that Sheik hadn't noticed. "Follow me."

Link spun around on his heel and crossed over to the door, Sheik in tow. Link pushed open the black painted door, holding the door open for Sheik. Sheik nodded quickly in acknowledgement, hoping Link didn't notice her blushing a bit.

Sheik scanned the room. It was a little lounge. Two couches were divided by a coffee table, and the floor was a lush white carpet. Up ahead was a little counter and fridge.

Link walked past her as Sheik asked, "What's this place?"

"Smash Lounge," Link answered. "It's where we can all get together and stuff in the Arena. We do most stuff in the Smash Mansion, but whenever we come here-"

"Link. What're you doing here?"

Both Sheik's and Link's attention were diverted to a new person- or animal. A mix between a person and animal, really. A blue-furred vixen was standing up on her hind legs, wearing a purple spacesuit. Green eyes dazzled in the light sternly, which flickered to Sheik.

"Who's she?"

"Krystal, I'd like to you meet Sheik," Link began. "Sheik, this is Krystal."

Sheik raised a hand weakly. "Erm- hey."

Krystal said nothing, only glaring at her hostility as if she were some bad smell under her nose. Krystal stared at Sheik for a few moments before turning back to Link. "Why is she here?"

Link opened his mouth to say something, but Sheik wanted to prove to Krystal that she at least had enough backbone to explain. "I'd like to become a Brawler," Sheik explained calmly. "What do I have to do?"

Krystal ignored Sheik, continuing to look at Link. "I'm guessing you know her?"

Link nodded. "'Course. Why else would I know her name?"

"A good fighter?" Krystal arched an eyebrow.

Link nodded again. "One of the best I've seen."

Sheik crossed her fingers behind her back. If she got into the Smash Arena, she seriously owed Link. And she thought he knew that.

Krystal took this into heavier consideration than the man at the ticket booth. Sheik waited with snagged, anticipated breath for answer… it was all up to her…

Finally Krystal sighed. "I suppose we can test her, see how she is."

_YES! _

"We'll have her fight five Assist Trophies."

Sheik stared at Krystal. "Wait… don't I have to fight Brawlers in order to get in?" Sheik asked, confused.

Krystal barked a nonhumorous laugh. "Of course not!" the vixen scoffed. "In order to fight a Brawler you have to be a Brawler. That's what the matches are all about! So when people attempt to become a Brawler, we have them fight five Assist Trophies. The Assist Trophies are also really good fighters- fighters who've made it just short of becoming a Brawler."

Sheik took this into consideration. Krystal made sense, she supposed. "So, how many do I have to fight?"

"As I said, five," Krystal said. "They will be completely random, so you have no time to strategize. The best of the best fighters can improvize on the spot and still win. So that's what you have to do."

"How many do I have to win?"

"All of them. If you can't handle the Assist Trophies," Krystal smiled menacingly, as if she absolutely knew that Sheik wouldn't complete the task and it greatly entertained her, "than you won't be able to handle the Brawlers at all. But who knows? Perhaps you'll actually be good enough that you can become an Assist Trophy."

Sheik clenched her fists. She hated Krystal. Sheik would show her…

Krystal clamped her hands together. "Anyhow, let's get this show started! Come with me to the Simulation Arena- it's where we have our tryouts."

With that, Krystal spun on her heels as she dropped her hands to her sides and began to turn down a hall.

Sheik exhaled a deep breath that she hadn't known she'd been holding. How'd she become a Brawler with someone like Krystal in charge of it?

Sensing her anxiety, Link squeezed her hand comfortingly, and Sheik felt her heart flutter again as she embraced the warm, smooth touch. "Don't worry," Link said. "I promise you, she's like that to everyone."

"She seems to hate me in particular," Sheik grumbled.

The thought amused Link, as he chuckled. "Oh, don't be so nervous- when you make it in, if you get to spend time with her, you'll find Krystal really isn't all that bad."

"You said _when_ I make it in," Sheik noted. "Not _if_."

Link smiled genuinely. "That's because you're going to do great. I have no doubt that you'll become one of the best Brawlers there is."

Sheik smiled, and she sensed that Link could see it under the cloth. "Thanks."

Link dropped his hand from Sheik's, which she immediately longed for again-the warm touch was soothing. Without it, she felt the same feeling of dread sneak up on her, slithering up her body slowly.

Link patted her shoulder, and she felt that same touch, but only for a moment. "Good luck."

Sheik began to walk away, turning her head and nodding back to Link for a second before racing off to join Krystal.


	4. Chapter 4: Assist Trophies

**A/N: *Wipes sweat* WHEW! That was a long chapter to type up!**

**Anyways, the good thing is, I've finally got this chapter done. It's got a LOT of fighting in it... personally my two favorite fights are the first one and the last one. And sorry this took so long to write- pretty much a week since I put the last chapter up! Long time. Thankfully, the next chapter should be a bit shorter, so I'll see if I can get it up by... tomorrow? Wednesday? I'm not sure. Anyways, I think the next chapter will be easy to write because it'll be fun to write, because at the end of the next chapter is where the fun really begins. YAY!**

**Oh! I almost forgot! Special thanks to my reviewers- Eternal Nocturne, sippurp123, InkWoven, and CrystalIceFire. Virtual cupcakes to all of you! And a LOT of virtual cupcakes for the first reviewer of this next chapter. **

**I also need to add, should have added this before- I guess I should warn you- I'm starting to get into another FanFiction (A LoZ and KH crossover), so if I delay in writing a new chapter, that's the reason why. **

**So, enough with my blabbering- enjoy this next chapter!  
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><p>Chapter 4: Assist Trophies<p>

A few moments later, Sheik was standing in the center of an oval-shaped arena. It looked as if it had been made entirely from light-colored dirt- the floor was light brown, sturdy, yet it shifted under her weight uneasily. The benches that looked overhead were empty, all crafted out of somewhat shining dark wood. It looked old- the only modern thing in the room were two blazing television screens overhead, hovering above the bleachers. They were turned off as of now.

Suddenly Krystal's voice projected throughout the arena. "This is our oldest arena," Krystal explained. "We hardly use it save tryouts."

Sheik looked avidly for any sign of the blue vixen, but found none. Perhaps it was coming from some sort of control box so high that she couldn't' see it.

That wasn't the only inexplicable thing- following Krystal's words something dropped to the floor. It was as if it had popped out of thin air.

Sheik almost reluctantly walked over to it. It was a cylinder-shaped case with a curve rounding about the top. It had a blueish tint, but was clear. Even though it was almost crystal-clear and bouncing off sunlight, Sheik couldn't see what was inside it.

"Open it." Krystal's voice run through the arena again. "It contains your opponent. You will have to triumph over him or her to advance and become a Brawler."

Sheik nodded. She bent over and unveiled her opponent.

Immediately a little pink and yellow drill flew over to her. Sheik just barely evaded the lunge, quickly assessing her opponent.

It was a little girl with hot pink hair tied into two buns at the top of her head, and she was moving so fast that Sheik couldn't see her eyes. She wouldn't have really looked threatening at all if not for the drill she was driving.

Sheik armed a few needles as she ran a good distance away from the girl in the drill- she could almost hear Krystal's smirk. Sheik turned her head to one of the TVs, which now read in bold green letters, SHEIK VERSUS JILL.

Her name was _Jill_? A psycho, drill-wielding little girl was called Jill. Well, it fit the little girl part.

It was only the drill's rumbling across the floor that pulled Sheik away from her sarcastic thoughts. Sheik momentarily gasped in surprise as Jill maniacally drove towards her.

Quickly Sheik gained an idea. She'd bet Jill wouldn't be nearly as threatening without that drill.

Sheik fired all her needles at the point of the drill- they all easily bounced off the spinning metal was if there were a force field around it. It didn't looked damaged at all when it continued its pursuit.

Sheik gained another idea, and she acted before she could rethink it and stop herself. Sheik began racing at an incredibly fast pace towards the drill, satisfied somewhat when she caught a glimpse of Jill's face, which was now contorted in shock.

Just before the drill could pierce through her, Sheik flipped over the metal and landed right behind Jill's driver seat, careful with her footing since the area was so small.

Shocked at what her opponent had just done, Jill gritted her teeth and began to swerve the drill left and right like a drunk driver. Sheik at this point tightened her grip fiercely on the drill as if trying to dump her strength into it. She knew what Jill was trying to do- that pink-haired lunatic thought she could lose Sheik if she shook her off.

Risking it, Sheik freed one o0f her hands from gripping the drill. Following this, Sheik dug around for a second and fumbled more needles on her fingers. She drew her arm back before releasing them all at Jill.

Jill managed to avoid the needles, swerving again in the process. But her distraction gave Sheik an opportunity. Sheik unfurled a chain, looped it around like a lasso, and aimed it at the drill.

It attached to it with a _clang! _

Sheik drew the chain back roughly as if she were trying to tame a bull. Jill looked horrified, as if Sheik were barbecuing a kitten. Jill desperately tried to yank the chain off the drill, but to no avail. Sheik had been right- with the drill, Jill was menacing. Without it, she was almost nothing.

Speaking of the drill, blood-red grew when Sheik witnessed the drill's point running straight towards the bleachers. Thinking on her feet, Sheik let go of the chain and hopped off immediately.

Jill drew a smirk on her face as she witnessed Sheik finally scampering off the drill and running away. Satisfied, she turned back to the face of the drill, probably intending to try to run Sheik over.

But it was too late. Jill gasped as the drill ran into the bleachers with a crash.

Instinctively, Sheik had stopped and turned away from the scene when the crash occurred. When the sound began to cease, she reluctantly decided to look. She could see a thoroughly crashed drill, parts of it on fire, but to her horror she couldn't see Jill anywhere. Jill may have been slightly insane, but…

Sheik barely heard an announcer's deep voice blare, "The winner is… Sheik!" and the triumphant music playing briefly over her concern. Her eyes darted around nervously.

"Is…" Sheik began nervously once the music had ceased. "Is Jill-"

"Dead?" As expected, Krystal's voice magnified again. When she weakly nodded, Krystal continued. "Nah. That's the thing with Assist Trophies- they're trophies, a projection of the real thing. Think of them as machines- machines that can be awakened in battle and programmed to help the one that opens it. Anyways- they can take massive amounts of damage and cannot die. Back on topic, here's your next opponent."

Sheik's eyes flew to the ceiling. True to her words, an Assist Trophy dropped out of the ceiling, bouncing on the ground momentarily before settling on it. Sheik crossed over to the trophy and opened it.

Sheik immediately looked over to a television screen- this time it read, SHEIK VERSUS SAKI AMAMIYA.

That actually sounded like a good opponent, Sheik thought to herself before receiving a pain in her shoulder.

Sheik swerved around to face this Saki person, but saw no one. Instead she saw a barrage of neon violet bullets aiming for her.

Sheik ran through the hailstorm of bullets, searching for her opponent, but to no avail. Then she realized that the bullets seemed to be coming from above…

Sheik looked up and finally saw Saki. Saki appeared to be a young man, likely older than her. His blonde hair reached to his chin and blue eyes grazed over the field. He was tall and sturdy, and he held a white, futuristic-looking laser gun in which he was shooting from. He was wearing a yellow shirt and short blue pants. His most notable quality, however, was that he was hovering in midair.

Sheik squinted to Saki, who had now seen her and continued aiming multiple bullets at her. Sheik ran up to him despite him being in the air, barely dodging several bullets in the process. Finally, when she was near him, she jumped in an attempt to reach him- she landed on the ground, earning a bullet in her arm, a drop of blood rolling out of it.

Sheik prepared her legs and jumped again- this time she was as high as Saki.

Sheik quickly latched onto Saki's shoulders, climbing on top of them. Saki began to fire his gun almost aimlessly, destroying the arena almost as much as Jill had. Sheik attempted to grab the gun several times, but to no avail.

Instead, Sheik resolved on aiming a kick in his special place. Saki hunched over, taken aback. Sheik took this time to give him a rapid flurry of punches, her legs latching onto Saki's waist to hold herself up. Eventually, Sheik kicked the gun out of Saki's hand.

Both of them just watched the laser gun drop to the ground for a few seconds. Then, as if a remote were pressing play again, both of them suddenly released each other and made a dive for the gun, as if that gun would decide who won the Brawl.

Shiek landed on the ground with a more or less graceful flip, Saki quickly following her. Then they both raced at top speed towards the gun. Sheik rammed into Saki, who quickly recovered and elbowed her. Sheik tripped Saki and in turn, Saki grabbed Sheik's leg and pulled her down to the ground.

Quickly Saki stood up and began running once more towards the gun. Sheik picked herself up as fast as she could, then, closing her eyes, ran to it as fast as she could, hunched over-

Sheik felt herself skidding to a halt and grabbing the gun at just the same time as Saki.

Saki and Sheik wrestled insanely over it, like two starving ruffians fighting over who would get to eat at a buffet. Sheik desperately aimed a bunch of kicks at Saki, finally placing one of her feet firmly in Saki's face. To Sheik's relief, Saki let go and had his hands fly to his face.

Sheik stood up quickly and aimed the gun at Saki's face. She pulled the trigger millions of times, as if she were a rabid dog. Saki barely had time to stand up before receiving a whirlwind of bullets. And for good measure, to a charged bullet, Sheik decided to throw in needles.

Upon being released, the mixed bullet and needles hit Saki hard, throwing him down to the ground- Sheik thought she heard a crunch. She witnessed Saki's eyelids droop before dropping the gun.

That time, Sheik found Krystal's words to be true about Assist Trophies- Sheik's eyes glazed over Saki's body, which was now disintegrating into digital particles, gathering together in a tightly packed compound before being all swallowed in a light. Quickly they both disappeared.

"Hmm… better than I expected, I'll admit," Krystal remarked after the announcement and music. "However, I'll also admit that those are the two easier ones. Here's where it'll get tough for you."

Sheik gulped as yet another Assist Trophy appeared. Seeing as she had no choice but to open it, that's exactly what she did.

Popping out of the Trophy was… Sheik wasn't sure what to name it. It was black, with pointed ears and hair sticking out behind his head like flames. Streaks of red followed throughout his whole body, and he seemed to be mustering energy. The opponent grunted once it released a massive aura of purple and red mixing together.

Sheik attempted to lunge towards him, but found herself unable. Well, not necessarily unable… but she found herself moving very slowly.

Sheik tried moving faster- no fast than she was already.

So that was what the aura was for. It slowed down the opponent. Well, if Sheik couldn't use speed to her advantage, then she had to use a massive amount of strength.

Sheik was moving so slowly to the black and red thing that it was boring. She found her eyes were able to go at the same speed, so she was able to read the TV now. SHEIK VERSUS SHADOW.

A fitting name for the thing. Shadow.

Sheik diverted her eyes back to Shadow- she was about a yard away from him now. Just a little closer…. Closer…. Closer… come on!

Finally, Shadow seemed to be within radius. Sheik aimed a punch at Shadow, but Shadow, immune to the slowing world, realized what Sheik was doing, closed his eyes, and vanished.

Oh goddesses! She had to do that all over again.

Sheik sighed, barely noticing that for the time being, time had reverted back to normal. Sheik ran as fast as she could towards Shadow, now on the other side of the arena. Luckily she was able to cover half the distance towards Shadow before the aura sprung up once more and time slowed again.

While she was at it, seeing that she could only beat Shadow with raw strength, began mustering her muscles together and slowly collected every needle she had. A quarter of the distance left, Shadow not looking at her, Sheik realized that Shadow couldn't see her coming, otherwise he'd just teleport again. She had to sneak up on him.

Sheik began edging to the right- in a few minutes, she found that she had made the right choice. Shadow looked over, and if she hadn't thought about it, Shadow would have teleported.

A few minutes more and Sheik was looming over an unsuspecting Shadow. Sheik prepared whatever strength she had left out…

Sheik took a deep breath and punched Shadow with full force, knocking him over and breaking his aura. Shadow looked at Sheik with horror, attempting to teleport away, but Sheik's needles stopped him from doing that.

Now that Shadow was knocked to the ground, Sheik stood on top of him and aimed a flurry of quick punches at him. For good measure, Sheik looped a chain around Shadow and used that to toss him around a little bit. Now Sheik could see Shadow was like Jill- he had an ultimate power he could use, but wasn't the best fighter when cornered.

Shadow struggled to get out, kicking and punching aimlessly. Desperately, Sheik moved the chain up to Shadow's neck, and tightened it. Now Shadow's eyes bulged and choked, releasing spit struggling massively. Finally, it proved to all be futile- white pixel-things began to consume Shadow, beginning at the feet and slowly moving up his body. Shadow screamed when the pixels rose to his neck like quicksand, devouring him shortly after and disappearing in a flash of light.

Sheik drew in a number of breaths to steady herself from the sight she had seen- Shadow's significant thrashing and flailing- it had almost brought her to tears, how much she wanted to help him.

But Sheik was reminded that it was for the better, to become a Brawler, and felt triumph when she heard, "The winner is… Sheik!"

For a few moments, nothing happened. No Assist Trophies landed, but finally Krystal said something. "Not bad," she said. "But a lot have lost to this next one- tough enough?" Krystal sneered/challenged.

The usual Assist Trophy bopped on the ground slightly before Sheik opened it.

Unlike the previous two opponents, this was a girl. And not to mention a human at that. She looked strong yet slender, and both her long, ponytailed hair and eyes were a deep turquoise. She was clothed in a light blue martial arts robe that matched her hair and eyes, and at her hip she held a katana.

Sheik, out of a habit, prepared herself, but stood up in confusion when the martial artist simply crouched down. Sheik took to time to read the television- SHEIK VERSUS LYN.

Sheik looked to Lyn once again- Sheik just barely had time to take a glimpse of Lyn before she vanished suddenly.

Confused, Sheik turned her body around the arena. Where was she…

Suddenly Lyn reappeared in front of her, hitting her with a heavy diagonal slash from her sword. Sheik felt a sting on her back as she hit the ground hard.

Sheik barely had time to stand up while Lyn charged up to her aggressively, and was soon knocked down again by another one of Lyn's heavy slashes.

The process repeated for some time- Sheik getting up, Lyn slashing, and Sheik being knocked down again. It was a pattern, one that was wearing Sheik out- there had to be a change in pattern.

Next time, when Sheik felt yet another impact from Lyn, a million balls of sweat were running down Sheik's forehead. When she landed on the ground, Sheik closed her eyes, making sure her eyes rolled back. She was careful not to move an inch.

Despite the eyes being closed, Sheik could almost see Lyn reluctantly walking up to her, examining her. Sheik held her breath, not moving one muscle- which was now hard, as she was starting to itch. She just had to wait long enough…

Sheik knew it was time for a surprise once the announcer was about to boom, "The winner is… Lyn!" However, before it got onto the word winner, Sheik suddenly bolted up and aimed a kick at Lyn's chest. Following that, she immediately fired a flurry of needles at her.

That was it, Sheik suddenly realized. She had to keep Lyn distracted. She had to prevent Lyn from making any offensive move whatsoever- so Sheik had to attack a bunch.

Sheik fired a second round of needles at Lyn before charging at her and uppercutting her jaw. Lyn attempted to swing her katana at Sheik, but Sheik jumped out of the way before feeling the rush of magic and finding herself behind Lyn.

Sheik rendered her hands to her index and middle finger together and started jabbing them all over Lyn's body, hoping to get a pressure point or two somewhere. She felt herself shaking as she jabbed them all over the body, kicking Lyn's legs at the same time to try to ensure that Lyn would make no move against her.

Finally, Sheik jabbed a point around her spine, and Lyn gasped in pain. Sheik stepped away from Lyn as Lyn dropped her katana and hollered in pain.

Lyn wouldn't give up, though. Lyn gave another yell as she charged at Sheik, this time pinning her to the ground. But Sheik had found Lyn's weakness, so once Lyn was on top of her, Sheik broke her wrists free from Lyn's hands and curled her legs around her waist, making a great effort to keep Lyn down as she desperately jabbed anywhere she could. Sheik had to find that pressure point…

Upon striking in one of Lyn's palms, Lyn gasped again and moaned in pain. Lyn took deep breaths to steady herself slowly, but to no avail.

After Lyn's eyes rolled back and her body thumped to the floor, pixels started to gather around the outline of her body, slowly working its way to the center and consuming her. Soon, Sheik was just looking at an area of dirt.

"The winner is… Sheik!"

When the triumphant music following that had faded, Krystal spoke yet again. "Perhaps Link was right after all- you're good. You've even defeated four out of five trophies." Krystal said this almost solemnly.

Four out of five? Sheik quickly counted. She had fought Jill, Saki, Shadow and Lyn… Krystal was right. Just one more and she'd become a Brawler.

Sheik's heart flipped in excitement.

"Just triumph over this one and you will make it into the Brawlers," Krystal explained. "Good luck."

Sheik eagerly ran to the Assist Trophy the moment it dropped to the floor. She quickly uncapped it.

Out of the trophy came a human- Sheik couldn't see the gender under the gray and orange suit, but from the stature she was assuming that it was a male. A mask somehow made Sheik uneasy, with small square slits in the mask for eyes. Like Lyn, he held a sword.

Sheik quickly looked over the to the TV. SHEIK VERSUS GRAY FOX.

Sheik quickly turned to Gray Fox again, who had jumped in the air lithely and hovered over Sheik momentarily before ascending upon her and stabbing the ground with his sword.

In turn, Sheik felt such heavy pain from the blast that she was thrown back on the other side of the arena. Quickly Sheik flipped recovering. When she saw Gray Fox beginning to run over to her again, she grabbed a handful of needles and aimed them all at Gray Fox.

To Sheik's absolute horror, Sheik gasped when the needles bounced off of Gray Fox's suit as it had Jill's drill.

Sheik threw herself on the floor to dodge her own needles.

Great. Gray Fox could reflect projectiles. This was going to become harder. Perhaps she should try taking his sword away, as she had done with Saki.

Sheik stood up again and unfurled her chain. She quickly aimed it at the hilt of Gray Fox's sword. However, Gray Fox just kept avoiding the chain.

Sheik gritted her teeth and flung out the chain again- once more Gray Fox dodged it. First needles wouldn't work, now she couldn't take away his weapon. She was betting that the armor would defend him from most of her punches- what could she do about him? This guy was good!

But Sheik couldn't lose. Not now. She had come so far, risked so much to become a Brawler, and all she had to do was defeat Gray Fox. For every strength, there had to be a weakness-

Gray Fox was certainly strong, and had good defense. He was also pretty lithe- but perhaps speed would work on him?

It was her only shot.

Sheik lowered her head, running at incredible speed towards Gray Fox and eventually ramming into him. Gray Fox swung his sword at Sheik, but Sheik was able to dodge it due to her crouched position.

While running back and forth, Sheik decided to risk it. She mustered what strength she had just as she had done with Shadow, and kicked him in the buttocks.

To her triumph, Gray Fox stumbled forward at this. Meanwhile, Sheik took the quick moment to assess his armor- despite it being so much of it on, there were a few dents and creases in the armor. Perhaps Sheik could use that to her advantage.

Sheik ran up to Gray Fox and pounced on him, looping her arms around his stiff neck. Gray Fox thrashed aimlessly and desperately to get her off him. Gray Fox swung his sword around, trying to hit Sheik. But instead, all it did was hit his armor.

Sheik dug around in her pockets for needles as she swung herself around Gray Fox's body, who swung his sword around his body and was beginning to loosen the creases in his armor. After a few minutes of it, needles long since on her hand, there were a few creases big enough.

Sheik stabbed needles through the creases, digging into Gray Fox's skin. Gray Fox grunted in pain- Sheik quickly withdrew them and dug them into another crease, drawing out more digital blood that quickly faded once drawn.

Again and again Sheik stabbed through the creases, Gray Fox swinging his sword around and desperately trying to get Sheik. Soon, Gray Fox succeeded- Sheik felt a sword stab her leg.

Sheik cried out in pain, rolling off of Gray Fox and onto the ground. There was a fire burning in her leg, she held it close to her chest. At the moment, she would have done almost anything to take all this pain away…

Gray Fox was soon looming over her triumphantly. But Sheik wasn't done just yet.

In a desperate attempt, Sheik suddenly unfurled her chain again and yanked it around Gray Fox's waist. Sheik, strength now failing her, pulled Gray Fox closer to her before pulling herself onto his back yet again.

Trying to maintain her position on Gray Fox was like riding a bull injured. But despite the difficulty, Sheik huffed heavily and dug her fingers, both armed with needles, through the creases.

Gray Fox grunted in pain, hunching back and dropping the sword. Sheik twisted the needles around for a moment before reaching over and picking up the sword. Finally, she stabbed it into Gray Fox's back.

Gray Fox stood up straight, resulting in Sheik falling over. She spent time recuperating and taking deep breaths from her diaphragm, so when she was finally able to look over, she could see the last of Gray Fox disintegrating.

Sheik grunted as she picked herself up off the floor. "The winner is… Sheik!"

Only that took her mind off her injury, and her eyes expanded. Wait… she beat Gray Fox, so…

For a moment, Krystal didn't say anything. She was afraid to. Sheik watched, unsure of where she should look, waiting with snagged breath, heart fluttering…

Finally she heard a voice that was ringing with defeat. "Well. Well. I suppose… erm… congratulations, Sheik. You've just become a Brawler. Welcome to the Super Smash Brothers."


	5. Chapter 5: The Dream

**A/N: *Pants heavily* Well, finally! **

**I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry that took so long! It's just that, in the space of a month, I've been to two separate summer camps, had my birthday, prepared for High School, had to catch up on my reading, and on top of that, whenever I'd try to work on Royal Brawler the computer would shut down abruptly and all of my progress would be lost. I can't tell you how many times that happened... . **

**Well, glad the busyness is over, so hopefully I can get this story back on a regular basis! So, again, terribly sorry about the delay, enjoy! (And I personally can't wait to think of the little cliffie I left you...)**

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><p>Chapter 5: The Dream<p>

"I got in!"

Sheik was glad to be greeted by Link's sparkling eyes once she jetted out of the arena in excitement, lightheaded and insides fluttering about like butterflies.

A grin spread on Link's face, holding out a hand for Sheik to slap. "Ni-ice! Good job!"

Sheik giggled. "It was all worth it! All of it!"

As if to disrupt the joy, Krystal soon was seen walking out of a different door. Krystal paused and glared at Sheik and Link, as if she were suspicious that they had caused a crime. Then she spun on her heels and walked away angrily.

Link raised his eyebrows. "Wow. Even I'll admit, I've never seen Krystal look so angry."

Sheik sighed and spread out her hands as if to say, _What did I tell you?_ "She hates me, I know it now," she said.

Despite Krystal's clear attitude, Link still shook his head. "I don't think it's because of you, actually," he mused.

"Than what is it?" Sheik challenged.

"You know that Fox is going into Brawl in two days, right?" Link continued when Sheik nodded. "Well, Krystal loves Fox, so she's extremely worried for him. I can see why- don't tell Krystal I said this, but I personally think that Fox is one of the weaker Brawlers here."

Suddenly Sheik was worried. She had made it in as a Brawler, but would that be enough? Or would she be labeled as a weakling? Perhaps she'd just have to work hard enough as to become a stronger Brawler.

Almost to Sheik's thanks, Link changed the subject. "So… do you want to see Smash Mansion? You know, where we eat, sleep, train, that kind of stuff?"

Sheik grinned broadly. "Did you need to ask?"

There were many ways to describe the Smash Mansion, but if Sheik could only use one word, that would be grand.

The entirety of it was solid marble held up by gold pillars. There were rich, rolling lawns, and they sky that added to its marvel. And to think- the height of the Smash Mansion already looked rather imposing.

Sheik stopped dead in her tracks, awestruck at the sight offered before her.

Link clapped a hand on her shoulder, breaking Sheik out of her trance. "You know, the Smash Mansion does look big at first sight, but that's mainly due to the massive training grounds."

Sheik just nodded, still ensnared in her awe.

Together they entered the Mansion, and Sheik wasn't exactly believing Link's theory. Gold aisles swept the marble floor and various pictures hung on the marble walls. Everything smelled fresh and polished, the aroma welcome to Shiek's nose. Sunlight spilled through a glassy window and everything seemed to shine like platinum.

Sheik wished she had loads more eyes than she currently had. This was where the Brawlers lived? They had it _nice_.

We _have it nice,_ Sheik was quick to remind herself.

"You look amazed," Link remarked, breaking her out of her trance.

Sheik nodded. "Can't wait to live in a place like this. I personally think this beats even Hyrule Castle."

Link chuckled. "For you, perhaps, but not for me."

"Why would that be?"

"The girls' and boys' dormitories are much different," Link explained. "The boys' is really crowded and very roudy while the girls' isn't as crowded and much more peaceful- if you don't count Samus, that is."

"Who's Samus?" Sheik questioned.

Before Link could respond, the Hylians stopped dead in their tracks when they heard the sound of tons of objects breaking on the floor followed by the snapping of electricity.

"PIKACHU!" a male voice screamed. "How many times do I have to tell you- do NOT go anywhere NEAR Snake's grenades!"

Another yell emitted, this one reminding Sheik somewhat of chirping. "Pika!"

Link shook his head in disbelief. "Erm, that's Ash, a Pokémon Trainer. One of his Pokémon, Pkachu, has developed a very unsafe habit of messing with Snake's stuff. And trust me, you don't want to get Snake mad."

Sheik nodded, barely even listening due to her fascination with the Brawler way of life.

"So, where's the girls' dormitories?" Sheik finally turned to Link again.

Link seemed to snap out of a kind of trance. "Oh, right. Yeah, right this way."

For a few moments Sheik followed Link to the girls' dormitories.

Sheik was taken aback when Link opened the door. It was a circular room, with fluffy-looking white beds surrounding the perimeter save two doors- the one they came through and another white door Sheik was guessing led to a bathroom. The wall was a hot pink and the carpet was white.

Out of all the beds, though, only four seemed to be occupied. One had a few cards with a red and white ball on the dresser and a device that looked like the same thing as that ball. Lettering hung over the red and white bed that spelled, JIGGLYPUFF.

The second that came to Sheik's attention seemed rather regular - it wouldn't have crossed Sheik's eyes at all if not for the numerous heavy pink parkas surrounding it. That, and a small picture frame of two little people in heavy coats- one light pink and one a baby blue- making peace signs together, seemingly oblivious to the arctic landscape behind them.

The third bed- well, if there was a picture next to the definition of girly, than this would be it. An elaborate hot pink, lacy bedspread covered a fluffy white mattress. Numerous throw pillows resided, and on the dresser with a basket with numerous peaches in it. Also on there was a change of porcelain gloves similar to the ones Sheik would wear as Zelda and a frilly, pink umbrella was resting comfortably against it. Sheik noted a plushie on the bed- one of a fat, little man wearing coveralls, a big red hat and adorned a big mustache.

The last occupied bed looked exactly opposite from the pink one. It looked as if someone had taken apart the bed and put it back together with heavy technological modifications. The bed frame was composed of metal with blue electric lines running through it and the bedspread was a simple black. Many parts to who know what were scattered across the dresser and a strange, huge futuristic container big enough to hold both Link and Zelda with much room to spare stood next to it. A closed laptop rested on it.

Sheik turned to Link. "Only a few people are in here?" she questioned.

Link just shrugged. "Well, not my fault that a lot of girls nowadays aren't very interested in fighting."

Following Link's words, heavy footsteps thoomed down the hall- towards the girls' dormitories.

In the end, Sheik took a step back at who had arrived. It looked as if it were from a different planet- armor covered the entire body and it looked as if the orange armor weighed more than it would a Knight of Hyrule- but this didn't seem to perturb the occupant. The suit was very bulky, as if it were purposefully challenging Sheik to try to recognize the individual inside it. It was impossible, seeing as the head was also covered, a dark green visor around where the eyes were.

Sheik's mouth dropped. "Is- is that a human being?"

Link chuckled, and the suited being quickly joined in. "What else would I be, idiot?"

With that, Sheik's eyes traced the suited being to the bed with the laptop on it. The suited person walked into the huge container next to the futuristic-looking bed, climbed in it facing Sheik, and after a few lights shone on the suit, a sharp hissing noise was drained from it, and the lights turned off. Quickly following that, the suit seemed to part in half for a person to climb out of it.

Sheik was able to get a good look at her once she shut the container. The woman looked to be in her early twenties, not too much older than her. An aqua body suit stretched across her body and her blonde hair was held up in a high ponytail and her green eyes, despite their beauty, looked quite menacing.

The woman observed Sheik before saying, "Huh. So this is the newbie, eh?"

Link nodded. "Sheik, this is Samus Aran. Samus, this is-"

"Yeah yeah, I heard you," Samus turned away from Link and walked to her bed. Samus plopped down on it, opened up her laptop and started scrolling through it. After almost a full minute of silence, Samus eyed Link suspiciously and remarked, "You know, this is a girls' dormitory."

Link suddenly stood up straighter, as if he were being electrocuted. "Um, er- yeah, you're right. Best that I'd get going."

Link quickly turned around and muttered, "Good luck with Samus," to Sheik before hurrying out of there.

The next hour or so, Sheik was nowhere near comfortable. She kept eyeing Samus- either Samus didn't know that Sheik was wary of her or gave no sign of it. Whatever conversation they made was short-lived and quickly died.

Finally, two more of Sheik's roommates arrived.

"Ah, that was a long day, right Jigglypuff?" a girl with blonde hair chirped to a…

A pink ball? It was a ball, pretty much, except it had stout arms and legs, ears sticking up at the top like ones a horse would have, and googly green-blue eyes and a mouth.

The ball-like being bounced a little, most likely agreeing.

The girl giggled, giving the pink ball a warm tap on the head with her daintily-gloved hand. "You're so-"

Suddenly the girl seemed to notice Sheik.

The girl jumped back in shock at first, her eyes growing almost as wide as the ball's at first, but eventually she smiled and waved. "Oh, hi there! Are you new? I think I heard something like that, you know, only I didn't really hear enough to really catch any of it, since I'm not really too comfortable with many boys, they seriously creep me out sometime- like Samus! Oh, have you met Samus yet? She's a great fighter and a good friend, but she can be scary sometimes and-"

When she had heard her name mentioned, Samus finally looked up from her computer. "Peach?" she interrupted.

"Yeah?"

"Do me a favor and shut up."

The girl's, Peach's, shoulders slumped at this. Samus gave no notice of Peach's sudden somber.

However, Peach was remarkable, as she seemed to get over it very quickly. "Anyways, I'm Peach, and this is Jigglypuff!" Peach referred to the pink ball after twirling in a lacy pink dress. "We're both Brawlers, I'm Veteran, and Jigglypuff's rather new. I'm the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom and Jigglypuff's a Pokémon! And you are?"

It amazed Sheik that Peach was able to get all of that out in one breath.

"Um, okay- I'm Sheik. Sheik of the Sheikah Tribe in Hyrule."

Peach smiled, closing her baby blue eyes while she did. "Cool! I can't wait to show you everything around here, Sh… Sh… Shein?"

"It's Sheik."

By the time the day had gone by, Sheik was exhausted- and she hadn't even done any training. The food had been pretty good though, and it was the only other time that day she was able to see Link. Now that it was eleven o'clock, Sheik was more than eager to get to bed.

Sheik arrived to the girls' dormitory after the rest- Samus, Peach, Jigglypuff, and as she later met, Nana.

"I need to go get changed in the bathroom," Sheik pointed out.

In truth, Sheik didn't need to get changed- not into clothes, at least, considering that she hadn't brought much. She was just getting tired of being in this form all day.

Sheik closed her eyes, drawing a deep breath while she was at it. Shortly she exhaled, gathered the magic within her from the bottom of her, and swung her arms around. She felt the energy press around her for a few moments before releasing.

When opening her eyes, Sheik was quite happy to see Princess Zelda in the mirror. It was becoming a drag for her to be in one solid form all the time- back in Hyrule Palace Zelda would change into Sheik sometimes while practicing her fighting. But for casualties, Zelda was more comfortable being a princess.

After cleaning herself somewhat, Zelda opened the door just a tad to see if everyone was asleep-

Good.

Zelda breathed a sigh of relief. She knew it was quite risky- foolish, even- to be in this form, but for some reason she could never sleep as Sheik. When as Sheik she would always have the nightmares of her past sneak up on her… as Zelda, she could rest soundly.

Zelda sighed in relief as she climbed into bed, taken aback at how easily her body was able to slide into the mattress and feel all her muscles relax. It was almost as comfortable as her four-poster bed in Hyrule Castle.

Due to this, it wasn't long before Zelda was able to fall asleep, sinking into the bed's depths.

The next time Zelda awoke, she wasn't in the girls' dormitory. She wasn't even lying down.

Startled by this, it was only Zelda's first instinct to quickly absorb her surroundings. She was airborne, standing upright in the sky, and she couldn't see any kind of platform that was allowing her to stand. It was as if she had the ability to walk on air.

The sky was a fresh, moist blue with fluffed clouds dancing in it. It would have been a beautiful sight, if not for something that attracted Zelda's attention straight away.

It was the Triforce.

Like Zelda, the Triforce was hung in midair, glowing- but the aura it gave wasn't good. In fact, it was quite, quite bad.

From this Zelda instantly knew that she was looking at the Triforce of Power.

Her first thought was what the Triforce of Power would be doing, suspended like this. Zelda's second thought was about the bottom right corner- a small snippet of it seemed to be cut off. And right there, a kind of red dust was fleeing towards it, gathering at that place where the corner of the Triforce was broken off.

As if to push her uneasy thoughts further, a voice emerged from the Triforce.

It was rather peculiar- in short, Zelda couldn't describe it. It was loud and booming, yet crystal clear and formal. It was one that made you act tensely, as if a snake were slithering across the flat of your back. Not to mention that there was a sense of familiarity to it that Zelda knew she should recognize, yet she couldn't.

"Finally- it seems as if my patience has paid off," the voice remarked. "Soon it shall be broken, and I can return to Hyrule… and defeat the Hero and the Princess once and for all, in payment of what they have done to me!"

A new sense emerged in Zelda- once again, one she couldn't put a finger on. It was a mix of emotions, like individual strands entwined together.

The first emotion was anxiety. Zelda wanted to get the heck out of there, and fast. Who else would this 'Princess' be?

The second one was her well-practiced common sense. Of course she had to stick around and hear this voice out- she had to know what was going on, even if a sixth sense was screaming at her that she should already know.

But before Zelda could decide to follow either one of her instincts, a forceful wind picked her up in the ground, in the sense as if a hand was gripping her throat. Zelda struggled at first, but then quickly realized that it wasn't as forceful as she had thought. It wasn't dragging her towards the voice, it was dragging her to safety, as if she had already heard all she needed to-

Next thing Zelda knew she was back in the girls' dormitory, waking up to a scream. It took Zelda a moment to realize that the scream was her own.

Zelda quickly drew in a gasp, eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness around her. Breaths came in raggedly, and just barely she noted beads of sweat raking her forehead.

Eventually Zelda relaxed her formerly tensed muscles, slumping down, and sighed. The experience had been rather unusual-

_WHACK! _

Immediately Zelda doubled back, a pain shooting through her, one that had blossomed through her hip. What the-

Shortly Zelda was provided with an answer once a high-pitched, squealing voice came up. "Who are you, and what have you done with Sheila?"

Zelda sighed in annoyance, quickly earning another WHACK! "Ugh, Peach," WHACK! "It's-" WHACK! "Me-" WHACK! "Sheik!"

Peach brought up what now Zelda could see to be a frying pan (where'd she even get ahold of that?), preparing it to bring it on her for the millionth time, to her shoulder, but that's as far as it got. Peach's baby blue eyes widened when she heard Sheik's voice, and shortly the pan dropped to the floor with a small clatter.

"Oh, Sheik!" Peach squealed. "What happened to your looks?"

"Can you not see?" Zelda snapped irritably. "I have long hair, and I'm wearing a nightgown!" Zelda lied. "Geez!"

In response, Peach blushed so furiously that even Zelda could feel it from here. "Oh. Sorry. It's just that, someone was screaming-"

"It's called bad dreams," Zelda grumbled.

Just that statement quickly amplified her nerves once more, sending volts of anxiety suddenly racing throughout her veins.

Zelda closed her eyes lightly, tuning the rest of Peach's words out. Something very bad was going to happen, and soon. The only question was how Zelda was to prepare for it.


	6. Chapter 6: A Surprise Visitor

**A/N: Okay, I'll admit, other than homework, I was rather lazy. So forgive me for the short delay... **

**But the cliffhanger will be worth it! Now THIS is where everything is going to start to kick in, and from here on out... well, I think I've made my point. Either that, or I just don't feel like writing a full-on authors note right now. But hey! This time, you can't blame me! It's 11PM and the past few nights... lets just say every night this past week I've stayed up till at LEAST 2AM. **

**Without any further ado (I forgot to do this last author's note), thank you to Eternal Nocturne, Mastress Tessa, Cimar of Turalis, CrystalIceFire and InkWoven for reviewing! It's just nice to know that people are reading what I've written, you know?**

**So, enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter 6: A Surprise Visitor<p>

"So you're the new Brawler, aren't ya?"

That was all Sheik seemed to be hearing the next day at breakfast. Everyone seemed to clamor around her at some point or another, asking her that very question. Some of them asked with a genuine interest while others had a narrowed look in their eyes as they asked.

The one currently asking her that was a young man who looked slightly older than Link. He wore blue and yellow clothes a bit like people of Hyrule would, so Sheik was guessing he came from a country more like hers. His short, dark, glistening blue hair was accented by a black bandana that wrapped around his forehead. Traits of his that Sheik found to be more distracting were his somewhat torn red cape and the golden broadsword he held at his hip.

Tired of all the questions, Sheik nodded wearily, not caring to try to tell if he was taking an interest in her genuinely or strategically. "My name's Sheik."

The boy nodded, his ripe blue eyes glistening. "I'm Ike, from Altea. I look forward to seeing what you can do in combat."

Ike smiled somewhat before turning around sharply on his heels and walking away.

Link quickly replaced Ike, sitting down next to Sheik as he left. Sheik observed his platter of food, taking it all in and unconsciously comparing it to that of Hyrule Castle.

"So, what do you think of the Brawlers so far?" Link asked as he dug into a bowl of yogurt.

Sheik shrugged. "I dunno. They're either happy to see me or they aren't. I just met this one dude named Ike."

Link smiled at the mention of Ike. "Oh, Ike? Sweet! Ike's one of my closer friends here. He's pretty nice, but let's just say that he's ruthless in battle."

Sheik thought for a second at the other Brawlers she had met. "That little creature-thing, Kirby, was pretty cute. Kirby, Jigglypuff- any other pink balls around here?"

Link chuckled in amusement. "Nah, just the two," he admonished. "Any others you find weird?"

"Peach," Sheik replied automatically. "She talks a LOT! And last night she beat me up with a frying pan for no reason!"

A smile gradually split Link's face in two as Sheik went on, ending with a laugh. "Yup, that sounds just like Peach!"

"What about the frying pan, though? Does that even surprise you in the least?" Sheik cocked an eyebrow.

"Actually, no." Sheik hadn't been expecting that. "Peach uses it frequently in battle, and she always seems to have it alongside her, along with a backup mushroom. How is a mystery none of us will ever solve."

Sheik wasn't even going to ask about the mushroom.

"Then there's Samus," Sheik continued. "I don't know why, but something about her just… irks me! She just seems to act as if she's in charge and stuff."

Link shrugged after chugging down a third bottle of milk. "Samus is Samus as much as Peach is Peach," Link said as-a-matter-of-factly after wiping his lips off with his sleeve- Sheik instinctively wanted to remind him to use a napkin. "Those two are huge opposites. Peach is, like you," Link lowered his voice for the last two words, "a princess. She rules the Mushroom Kingdom. Peach used to be kidnapped every other day- and not even for power. It was simply a hobby of Bowser. Every single time Mario would thwart him and save Peach. Eventually Mario convinced Peach to train here, making her the first female to join the Brawlers- so we thought.

"That's where Samus comes in. Samus used to be an intergalactic bounty hunter, fighting off aliens of any kind. She was orphaned after her planet was invaded and was taken in by a separate race of aliens. They trained her to become the renowned bounty hunter that she is now. Eventually she joined the Brawlers, but in the suit, so no one knew her gender. When Peach came along, Samus opened up and showed herself."

"So Samus had been disguising for a while?" Sheik prompted, barely preventing a lump from forming in her throat.

Link nodded. "Yeah. Anyways- have you eaten yet?" Sheik shook her head. "Well, eat up, because today, you start training."

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><p>Once Sheik ate breakfast, Link guided her to the training area- a massive courtyard filled to the brim with punching bags and scattered items that seemed to drop from midair. The grass was a freshly mowed green and the sun wove tendrils of sunlight strategically around. A few of the Brawlers were already training- there was Samus, out of her suit and using an electric whip to fling a dummy around all over the place. A dark green, miniature dinosaur seemed to be bouncing all around and pounding the dummy to the ground. A boy dressed in white, perhaps slightly younger than her, was firing arrow after arrow at multiple dummies.<p>

Link gestured to a dummy in a presentational way once they stopped. "Well, it's all yours, I suppose. Go on, give it a go."

Sheik nodded, smiling under the cloth. Finally, they were starting to get down to what she had left Hyrule for!

Sheik quickly readied some of her needles, observing the dummy. It was slightly taller than her, a loosely woven cylinder that Sheik was guessing was filled with cloth. Eyes were attached to it, possibly to give it a look that was slightly more human.

Humph. This will be easy, Sheik thought to herself.

Sheik arched her back forward as she ran to the dummy at a breathtaking speed. She fired needle after needle, but they bounced back, the dummy undeterred.

Once up to it, Sheik thought on her feet and back-flipped over it, just barely missing the top of the dummy. When getting steady ground under her feet, Sheik resolved provided a nice array of quick punches to the dummy.

Sheik stretched an arm back and hit the dummy so quickly that to the average eye, she would have barely moved. Her eyes popped once she hit a hard, undeterred surface which left a sharp pain ringing in her fist.

Sheik bit her lip and shook her hand, which she clenched and unclenched as a futile attempt to stave off the pain. "What the…" Sheik sighed and swore. "I thought this was supposed to be cotton!"

Unknown to Sheik, Link was just barely able to stifle a small chuckle. "It looks like that, huh? They put metal in it to make it look easy, when in reality it's hard. And if you think the dummies are hard- just wait till you actually get drawn to Brawl."

Link was taunting her. Link was taunting her. Errgh! If she was so bad that even Link was making fun of her-

Angrily, Sheik swiveled her head around to find Peach engaging a similar dummy in combat. She watched with awe as the pink-dressed girl slapped the dummy billions of times, charged up a leg before kicking it and sending it soaring ten feet off the ground, then jumped up and hit it with her frying pan like she would a bat and a baseball. On top of that, Peach put the frying pan away and quickly unfurled an umbrella that looked much like her dress and floated daintily to safety.

A knot inside the pit of Sheik's stomach knotted itself over and over as she remembered Link's taunts and saw how good even Peach was. Barely able to prevent herself from seething, Sheik coiled all her muscles together and ground her teeth before handing the metal-in-cotton dummy a nice, clean uppercut punch that heaved it off the ground five inches.

Link raised his eyebrows as he smiled. "Ah, there's the spirit! Keep that up!"

The next two hours or so was spent in Sheik channeling that energy and using it to give the dummy quite a nice barrage of punches, kicks, needle throws and grappling chains. Once or twice she was even able to hoist the dummy ten inches off the ground.

Link decided to intervene in the training when it looked as if Sheik were ready to pass out. He crossed over to her quickly and laid a hand on her shoulder, pushing her down a bit further when her hands were reliant on her knees.

"Hey, it's almost lunch," Link suggested lightly. "Come on- the rest of the Brawlers are already at the dining hall."

After panting a bit more, hands on knees, Sheik looked up warily. "Y-yay!" Sheik closed her eyes and began to compose herself, slowing her breath.

Silence rung for a few deadly moments as Sheik caught her breath. Once Sheik did, Link finally broke the silence."I had a dream last night."

Sheik stopped breathing abruptly. Trying to act normal, she slowly turned to Link. "What was it about?" she asked, hoping it wasn't what she thought it was.

"It was kind of weird," Link admitted. "Weird, but something I wanted to talk to you about since I felt it was important. In the sky, there was a Triforce with red stuff going to it. A loud voice boomed from it and said something about getting revenge on a Hero," Link pointed to himself, "and a Princess." Link pointed to her.

Sheik gulped. So that hadn't been some random dream, hadn't it?

Once able to think clearly from the grueling training and the shock, Sheik sighed. "I feel as if I'm supposed to recognize it," she said. "I want to hit myself over the head, I know the voice should be that obvious."

Link nodded in agreement. "I'm not really sure what this is supposed to be. I just… something bad's coming, isn't it?"

Sheik narrowed her lips grimly. "That's obvious. The question is, what is that bad thing?"

* * *

><p>The next few days' training were just as grueling as the first day. Sheik was dismayed throughout it as she noticed how good the Brawlers were and just how bad at fighting she was compared to them.<p>

"Hey, relax, they've trained really hard for the past few years," Link pointed out. "Don't worry, you'll catch up to them in time."

Sheik still wasn't too sure about that. Every move of theirs seemed so natural, so coordinated- they made fighting seem like some sort of art form.

At least she had Link as a pillar of support through most of it, but that didn't mean Link didn't have his own training to do. Sheik was probably most envious of Link, once she thought of it. With his Master Sword, cries of battle and assorted weaponry, the Hero of Time seemed like one of the better fighters even among the Brawlers.

Link had also made quite an effort to stress the upcoming match, Meta Knight versus Fox, to Sheik, as if it were some holiday to look forward too. When Sheik had questioned why Link was so excited about the match, he stated that it was because he had been hoping he would be called to fight in the match after that, as he hadn't had one in months.

On the day of the match, Sheik and Link were escorted to one of the booths above the stadium that were reserved for Brawlers. They all seemed anxious to see two Brawlers duke it out in a fight.

Noting the bustle of the crowd, Sheik smiled. Perhaps, since the show was apparently sold out, would be worth watching after all.

The more Sheik thought about it, the more she liked the idea of watching the match. She could take note of both of their fighting styles, watch what was working for them and what wasn't, and later use it to her advantage during training.

Link seemed to notice this and smiled. "You suddenly seem excited."

Sheik smiled and blushed somewhat under the cloth. "Well- I just really thought about it, and I supposed that observing them would be-"

"For Link!"

Sheik and Link immediately swiveled around to see a man with a slip of paper hurrying down the aisle, stretching his arm towards Link.

"Apparently there's a guy waiting at the front office for you," the office attendant explained as Link took the note, interest written across his face. "He says that its urgent and that you need to come right away."

Link stared at the note for a time, then shrugged and stood up. "Well, he says it's important, so I guess I'll go."

With that, Link slipped past Sheik's body, careful not to brush the seat one row down nor her legs. Sheik stared at Link with confused marvel as he followed the attendant out of the booth.

Once Link left, Sheik turned back to the spectacle and knitted her eyebrows in thought, vaguely wondering what the message could be.

A few ideas formed in her mind, but all of them were forgotten when the crowd hushed slowly, as if some sort of invisible blanket had been tossed on them.

It was almost eerily silent for a few moments, then Sheik's heart seemed to jump from it's ribcage once a booming voice easily overpowered the arena.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" the voice boomed. "Today is the next Brawl between two skilled, experienced, and talented fighters! If you wish to see our next contestants fight, let me know!"

Multiple screams sprung out from the crowd and rung freely through the air, intermingling so no one could know whose scream was theirs. Just the noise nearly gave Sheik a headache.

"All right than! First up, we have a two-time finalist, a great and renowned pilot- please welcome, FOX!"

Yet again cheers erupted from the crowd as a platform slowly rose out of the ground, carrying a weird looking Brawler. He looked a bit like Krystal- he looked like some sort of canine standing up on his hind legs and wearing clothes. A tannish brown rippled across his fur and he held unnatural yet seemingly fitting jade green eyes, a hazy light green lens hovering in front of his right eye. At his hip he held a black pistol.

Sheik could now see the resemblance between him and Krystal. She wondered how Krystal was feeling- probably worried for his sake. After all, she would be at least somewhat worried once she saw Link enter a Brawl.

"Now we have our next Brawler! He's more of a new fighter, yet has won every match he has participated in so far! Please welcome, META KNIGHT!"

Screams that were likewise to the first two shot out from the crowd as another platform rose out of the ground, located opposite from where the first platform had delivered Fox. Standing on was a weird hybrid of Kirby and Ike. Meta Knight's body was yet another ball form, but his mask similar to that of the Knights of Hyrule tore to shreds whatever kinds of innocence the shape presented. Like Ike, he wore a rather formal, dark purple cape and held a menacing-looking short, golden blade.

Sheik couldn't help but gulp when she saw Meta Knight show off by slashing his sword around a few times before jumping and landing with a flourish of his cape. More cheers.

Sheik then watched as Fox and Meta Knight walked towards each other, both holding out hands. They clasped hands firmly and shook it, but not warmly at all, quickly departing to their respective starting positions.

"Now, for the setting! Our setting is-" A weird noise rung through the air- "Final Destination!"

Following the announcer's words, two halves of a dome slowly began to lift themselves up from the ground, bit by bit until the ends connected together with a _boom!_

Another weird sound reminiscent of a zap reverberated through the coliseum, and immediately an image of a large, high-tech platform standing still throughout a moving space replaced the clear dome. Lights dimmed as spotlights shone on the preparing Brawlers.

"BEGIN!"

Immediately Fox and Meta Knight launched themselves at each other. Fox quickly unhanded his pistol and fired a rapid succession of bullets at Meta Knight. However, Meta Knight expertly blocked each bullet with the flat of his sword as he continued running. Sheik raised her eyebrows at Meta Knight's feat.

This didn't faze Fox in the slightest. Fox merely narrowed his eyes, stopped running, and shot once again at Meta Knight, aiming carefully to make sure his efforts would wound Meta Knight.

Finally one of the bullets hit Meta Knight square in the arm, forcing him to stop. Meta Knight skidded to a halt, grimacing as a bit of blood trickled out.

Meta Knight's halt bought Fox an advantage. Fox shifted his pistol back in its holster and once again launched himself at Meta Knight. Once in front of him, Fox stopped only to give Meta Knight a clean uppercut. This earned Fox many 'Ooooohs'! from the crowd.

Just as Sheik was absorbed into the fight, a voice brought her sharply out of the Brawl.

"Sheik."

Sheik whirled around in her seat to find Link standing there. His body was mostly composed- too composed. She couldn't help but notice the shivering hands.

"Yes?" Sheik asked.

Link took a deep breath, as if to prevent himself to falling over. "I- I need to talk to you. In private. It's important."

Unease began to build inside Sheik slowly as she warily stood up and dismissed herself from the row of seats. She followed Link as he turned on his heels and guided her out of the booth.

Sheik's eyes darted nervously around the Smash Arena as she followed Link. This wasn't good- that was obvious.

Link then turned around suddenly and stopped. "I need you to change into Zelda," he stated simply.

Sheik was appalled by Link's request. "What?" Sheik cried in disbelief. "Why? In case you haven't noticed, the arena is filled to the brim with spectators!"

"There's someone here," Link continued. "She needs to be the one to tell you the news, but refuses to unless she finds that you're indeed Zelda."

Sheik thought for a few moments about it. Well, this did seem important, so she grudgingly summoned the energy around her and immediately felt a change in mind, vision, and body stature, as well as her clothes.

Link nodded. "Come out, please!" he called to the visitor.

Zelda turned around to make sure there wasn't anyone suddenly popping out and catching her red-handed, then turned back around to see a small, glittering form spiraling in the air towards her-

Suddenly Zelda realized who this was. "Wait… Navi?"

The fairy, a little blue light with small wings, fluttered somewhat in response. "Princess Zelda! So Link was right! You're here!" Navi laughed uneasily, as if she couldn't believe it. "Oh my gosh- she's here, she's here! I can't believe it, oh my-"

Zelda giggled. "Yes Navi, I'm here," she remarked with an amused laugh.

"I can't believe it! You're alive!"

Dread suddenly crawled uneasily on Zelda's spine.

"What-" Zelda was unable to grasp the situation. "That… that I'm alive? I mean, I ran away from Hyrule Castle, but even this…" she trailed off, not seeing the situation.

Navi turned to Link, who just closed his eyes and nodded, prodding her on.

With a small sigh, Navi faced Zelda again. "Well… I'm not really sure how to tell you this- but… it's just that… apparently… you see-"

"Do you want me to do it?" Link offered once it was apparent that Navi was struggling to get the words out.

"No! I've got it!" Navi hissed. "To put it simply- in a burst of power, Ganondorf broke the seal! It's terrible- immediately he killed all of the Sages and has practically obliterated Hyrule! I'm surprised that you're not dead!"


	7. Chapter 7: A New Goal

**A/N: Three words- School. Is. TORMENT! I mean, I've been working so freaking hard to get just one A while many others I know have straight A's without trying-**

***Realizes this is an A/N***

**Oh... hehe...**

**Anyways, it's been a long time since you've seen me, yeah? (Just like Deidara! :P) **

**Yup... many things have been holding me up this time. I HAVE EXCUSES THIS TIME! And what is it called?**

**HIGH SCHOOL. **

**Man, the only place worse than High School is Middle School! Now THAT was torture... at least at High School you can eat Ice Cream at lunch as part of your lunch account! That is good. :D**

**I also have the excuse that my social life has ALSO been torment. I've really set a record- in three weeks I lost three of four of my best friends. 'Tis not fun sitting alone at lunch... **

**Anyways, I've been ranting WAAAAAAAAAAAY to much about this. **

**Now to rant about the chapter! One time the author Ally Condie made a visit to my library, and when I asked about her writing life, she said what worked for her was to set deadlines for herself. **

**So that's exactly what I did! Even through my good-for-nothing social life, school and my Naruto obsession, I set a deadline that I would not, WOULD NOT, take longer than a month to get a chapter out! WE all know how that went last time... **

**And I made it! I just BARELY made it! Now my next deadline will be a lot shorter- from now on, I'm gonna try to get AT LEAST one chapter every two weeks, more if I can. So now, if I don't get Chapter 8 in by Halloween, I will give you a large, 48-piece virtual cake of any of your choice, one more piece for every day I take past Halloween. And I won't get to have any of it. But if I _do_ get it in, then we'll all have a 48 piece virtual cake, but I get at least half of it. :D**

**Oh! I almost forgot! Thanks to Cimar of Turalis, InkWoven, TwilightWakerofTime (Btw Waker, I'm thinking about getting PH now. :D), CrystalIceFire, Eternal Nocturne, Mysticbreeze327, Morumotto-chi, kingdomhearts4eva (Totally agree with that username XD), and Blood-of-Silver. Whew... that was a lot! Thanks a bunch for all that support!**

**Now, to ze chapter!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 7: A New Goal<p>

Zelda's lower lip dropped open in shock and disbelief. Ganondorf returned…

Her knees knocked against each other. To think, how she and Link had tried to dispatch of Ganondorf- now that he returned, it was like none of it mattered.

And the Sages, dead…

Zelda immediately thought of Impa. How had she reacted? Was she killed immediately, with no chance to react, or had she gone down fighting? Had it been quick, or slow and painful?

Tears welled out of Zelda's eyes. Oh, Impa…

Her muscles knotted. "Impa!"

Link nodded slowly. "Saria," he muttered reverently.

Darunia. Rauru. Nabooru. Ruto. Saria. Impa. All of the Sages, gone. Ganondorf, returned. This time, there was no way Hyrule could be saved.

Zelda's eyes quivered in sadness, full of grief and remorse. It was like Zelda's body was a hollow shell.

Then it was as if Zelda's body were on fire.

Anger bubbled in the depths of her stomach, a sensation she rarely felt. A horrible, rare feeling- yet powerful.

Zelda closed her eyes and suddenly punched the wall, screaming. She forgot all about her usual calm, why should she be in this moment of all of them?

Ganondorf would pay! She would ensure that!

"So stupid of me!" she yelled. "Why did I run away from Hyrule? As the Princess and Wisdom Bearer, I should have known better! Out of all people! I was so-"

"Would you stop it Zelda?" Link yelled suddenly.

"N-No!" Zelda chocked. "This is all my fault! Impa… this is more than I can take!"

"Oh yeah, how do you think I feel about Saria?" protested Link. "Stop this, Zelda! This is so unlike you!"

Zelda laughed, as if she were going insane from sorrow. "Oh yeah? Well, at least it's not your fault that Hyrule is gone for good!"

"Actually," Navi interrupted, "you're the leader of the Sages, and Link's the Hero of Time. You both have different pieces of the Triforce. You guys leaving Hyrule just may have been the best thing that's happened."

Link and Zelda shut their mouths, stunned by how true Navi's words stood.

Zelda was the first to regain her composure as Princess of Hyrule- or Princess of Nothing, now. Motivated by Navi's words suddenly, she set her shoulders back and squared her jaw.

"You're right. We sealed Ganondorf once- we can do it again." Zelda's voice stuck out determinedly.

"But to seal Ganondorf again would require the Sages," Link pointed out. "And, obviously, they're dead."

"Not all of them," Zelda said, racking her brain anxiously. "I'm still standing, and I'm the leader."

"And one Sage is good enough to seal the King of Evil?"

"I'm the Wisdom Bearer and Princess as well."

"Even so. You would still need other Sages."

Zelda rested her chin on her fist in thought. "Well…" Zelda looked up, detaching her head from her hand. "Perhaps, somehow, we could find new Sages."

Right when she said it, Zelda wished she could take it back. How absurd! Finding new Sages…

Slowly she realized, as they needed them badly, it might now be too bad of an idea…

Link nodded cautiously. "Yeah, maybe," he considered. "It's a good idea- but how're we gonna get to Hyrule and find the necessary people?"

"Yes, Ganondorf has complete control over Hyrule now," Navi put in. "You- both of you- are wanted, and millions of search parties are being sent after you. Going to Hyrule is suicide!"

Zelda gulped. Not to mention, there was surely word by now that there was a new Brawler to come fight in the Smash Arena. How long would it be before they realized just who that Brawler was and tracked her down?

But she couldn't worry about that right now. As of the moment, she and Link had to focus on finding new Sages. It was their best bet.

"What about you?" Link turned to Navi, pulling Zelda out of her head. She had missed some conversation, hadn't she?

Navi lifted half an inch higher in the air, which Zelda was safe to assume was the the best example of a shrug a fairy could perform.

"I fled as soon as I could," she told them. "Ganondorf would surely want me for questioning, fairy or no. So…" Navi didn't finish the sentence.

Link grimly nodded in understanding.

Zelda closed her eyes softly. "So how will we find new Sages?" she almost whispered.

No one spoke, all in deep thought. What were they to do? How could they save Hyrule without being caught first?

Link finally broke the silence and brought up a suggestion that took Zelda and Navi aback.

"Simple. We don't use Hylians."

Zelda took a step back in shock. Was Link insane?

"But the Goddesses- the remaining Six Sages need to be of other races! It's the only way!" Zelda said desperately. "And you know it!"

Link sighed. "I knew you would say that. But face it- what other choice do we have?"

"Do you even have the slightest idea of who we would use for Sages if not Hylians?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. The Brawlers."

Zelda stared at Link as if he had suddenly grown a hundred extra arms. "The Brawlers… as Sages?" she asked as if Link had proposed they waved flags around Hyrule stating who they were.

"Why not?" Navi suggested.

Zelda paused. Why not…

She sighed. Perhaps they were right. Perhaps they could use Brawlers. Perhaps they could actually do it…

No. It was wrong. It was wrong and Link knew it. No way could they break the tradition of the Sages being Hylians unless they were truly desperate.

Which they were.

"Princess Zelda," Link spoke. She was surprised by the formality- normally Link left the title out unless he was deadly serious about something. "We have no choice."

For a few tedious moments, Zelda's thoughts wandered, taking multiple directions and taking several things into consideration all at once. Then it all exploded and Zelda sighed, giving up.

"I guess we could… but the thing is, how... how could the Brawlers become Sages?" Zelda looked up at Link.

It had been Link's suggestion, so not only would it make sense if Link proposed a miraculous suggestion, but it would have been incredible as well. So Zelda had been expecting to Link have a good idea-

Link shrugged.

Zelda shook her head in defeat. "Told you," she mumbled.

"Wait… isn't there someone that has the power to ordain them Sages?" Navi mused. "There's gotta be someone…"

Zelda thought for a moment. "Well, I guess the Goddesses would have the power to do so-" An idea sprang in her head, just like that.

Navi twinkled, urging her. Zelda nodded and closed her eyes, stretching her arms towards the ceiling as if she were trying to touch it.

"Goddesses of Hyrule!" she called out. Immediately a warm, iridescent light flooded her, meeting her.

Zelda relaxed at this light, recognizing the light of Din, Nayru and Farore. They were encouraging…

This was all she needed. "I humbly request the power to ordain Sages, in an effort to protect the land you created with your hands," she continued. "Please… lend me your strength!"

At first, there was nothing.

Then a new kind of power immediately flooded through her entire being. Not just one, singular power- the power of all Sages, combined and sleeping within her. They all seemed to mix together until they formed into a concrete light.

Zelda opened her eyes, and immediately felt something dancing on her palms. She looked down to find a radiating light of many colors held- this light she had felt so warm to her, she almost didn't want to give it to the necessary future Sages.

The light slowly faded, dissolving into her hand like rushing water aiming down. When it was finally gone, Zelda looked up and smiled, knowing that perhaps Link was right.

Perhaps this would work.


	8. Chapter 8: Ike

**A/N: WHEW! I MADE THE DEADLINE! THANK HEAVEN! **

**Yup, I just barely made the deadline at 9:20 or so! Muahahaha! I did it! Now we all has virtual cake- BUT I just ate about two thirds of it. You can get the rest, I'm stuffed. :P**

**Anyways, I would normally set up the next chapter at the two week mark, buuuuuuuut here's the thing- I signed up for National Novel Writing Month, so this means I'll be focusing on one of my original stories ENTIRELY for the month of November until I get to 50,000 words. I'll see if I can squeeze in a chapter or two during November, but I kind of doubt it. If I don't, than there'll be a lot of them in December to make up for it. **

**Anyways, onto the reviewer-thanking-time! Muromotto-chi, Cimar of Turalis (Hmm, you were close on a Sage or two, as a matter of fact), Eternal Nocturne (Yeah, it's just the Nationality, not the race), InkWoven, kingdomhearts4evar and TwilightWakerofTime (We'll see... *wink*)**

**So, enjoy! And Happy Halloween!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 8: Ike<p>

Weeks passed after Zelda, Link and Navi's meeting. Meta Knight turned out to be the victor of the match (Krystal refused to leave Fox's side for a week, then after that she refused to speak to anyone and seemed to be distasteful towards Meta Knight in particular), and Navi ended up staying with the Hylians secretly and switched off between staying with Link and Zelda.

Another match presided in that time- Kirby versus Lucario, the latter having won by a landslide. Now all the Brawlers were waiting eagerly, anticipating the next matchup.

Sheik wasn't too concerned about the matchups- what she was concerned about was her training. She slowly began to improve in her fighting, but much to her dismay, the other Brawlers did as well. Link kept calmly telling Sheik that this was merely because they were there years longer than her, but she wasn't comforted by this at all, until someone other than Link finally talked to her.

Today she was focused solely on her speed, so she landed jab after jab on the punching bag. When the bag finally was lifted a foot or two off the ground, Sheik pounced on it, wrapped her arms around it as if she were embracing it, then turned it over and drove it into the ground like a drill.

As a result, her left ankle seared with pain. Sheik gritted her teeth, breaking into a cold sweat, when a slow clapping was heard behind her.

Immediately her spine straightened, and she turned around to find none other than Ike.

Ike smiled genuinely after finishing his small clapping. "Not bad," he remarked. "In fact, pretty good."

Sheik nodded briefly, somewhat stunned by the compliment. "Thanks."

Just as Sheik was about to go back to her training, Ike interrupted her again. "You know, Link often remarks about you to me. Says you're good."

"Does he?"

Ike laughed. "All the time, almost! Sheik this, Sheik that… well, now I can see what he was talking about."

Sheik lifted her eyebrows, surprised again. Did Link talk about her all that much?

She turned her head around, stealing a glance at Link practicing an awesome move on a dummy. The dummy was secured in the middle of the Triforce, and Link was slashing at it repeatedly with the Master Sword.

All Sheik could do was watch in awe as Link delivered a final blow, splitting the dummy in half and sending it flying across the training grounds.

"Woah…" Sheik whispered.

Ike smiled and clapped a hand on her shoulder. "That, my friend," he pointed to Link, "is a Final Smash. You heard of it?"

Sheik shook her head after shrugging Ike's hand off her shoulder.

"Well, it's kind of like your last resort in a Brawl," Ike began. "It's your most powerful move at your disposal- however, they usually take up a lot of energy, so it's only used a bit. But when they're used…" Ike whistled. "Just one Final Smash can change the game, man."

Sheik's mind raced with the prospect of this information Ike was giving her. Final Smash…

"What's mine?" Sheik asked eagerly.

Ike looked at her. "Hmm?"

"My Final Smash," Sheik stressed. "What's mine?"

"Oh," Ike said. "Well, that's for you to find out. You develop your Final Smash- you'll know what it is once you use it. It took me a few months to realize mine."

"Can I see it?" she asked. Perhaps if she saw other Final Smashes she'd be able to realize what was hers.

To her disappointment, Ike shook his head. "Can't do. Like I said, Final Smashes are your last resort."

"But Link just did his over there!"

Ike smiled nervously, rubbing his hand through his hair. "Well… let's just say that Diddy Kong was on a sugar high, so almost no one in the boys' dormitory could sleep last night. Almost everyone is running on pretty low energy."

Sheik stared at him. "A sugar high?" she repeated in disbelief. "There were almost no sweets during dinner last night."

"Diddy Kong has his ways," Ike answered mysteriously.

Sheik crossed her arms defiantly. "But how again would that keep everyone up?" she said.

"No one can sleep when Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong clash," Ike said simply.

"Ike's right."

Sheik swiveled around on her good ankle to see Link walking towards them, Master Sword strapped on his back once more.

"The only one who got any sleep in the boys' dormitory last night was him." Link gestured to Ike. "Lucky you, you can sleep through anything…"

"Because I'm awesome like that," Ike shrugged, smiling smugly.

"Like that's an excuse!"

Sheik smiled, enjoying the joking that was going on between the boys. "Just because someone's hyper isn't a reason for anyone to not get sleep as well!"

Both Link and Ike turned to her at once. "Oh yes it is!" they yelled simultaneously.

She smiled. "I suppose I stand corrected."

Ike chuckled, glad for Sheik to finally see the light. "Nights like last night are some of the reasons that Link wants to sleep with the girls- or is there more than one reason?" Ike elbowed Link, which seemed to snap the green-clad blonde out of a sort of trance.

"Wait, what… hey!" Link pushed Ike away from him as if he were a virus. All the while Ike was simply cracking up.

Sheik couldn't help it. Following suit to Ike, she began to laugh as well. She was liking Ike.

All the while, Link's face looked as if it had come out of a boiler. "Urgh… you guys…" But he couldn't help it when a small smile broke on his face as well.

Through the next following days, Sheik, Link and Ike began to form a trio instead of the two duos. They began practicing together and helped each other improve on their fighting, and after training they would often eat together.

However, Sheik couldn't help but notice the sideways glances someone kept giving them- she didn't know his name yet, but was able to identify him by the long blue cape reminiscent of Ike's and the long blue hair.

Almost the only time they seemed to separate was at nighttime, when Link and Ike retired to the boys' dormitory and Sheik to the girls'. While Link wished for the peace and quiet offered in the girls' dormitory, Sheik began to long for the activity going on in the boys'.

Or maybe it was to get away from Samus and Peach. As days passed by Sheik drew farther from the both of them. They were very stark contrasts from each other- Samus was sarcastic and rather brutal while Peach was lively and outgoing. Peach was probably the more annoying, as she kept trying to butt in the trio's conversations- at least Samus left them alone.

Not to mention there was Peach's constant talk about Mark or whatever his name was. She kept sleeping with her plushie of him at night, and Sheik began to connect that to another Brawler here. Suddenly she seemed like some sort of stalker.

In the middle of it all was the problem with the Sages. Sheik was on the constant lookout for anyone fitting to be one of the Sages- despite her watching them all like a hawk, she gathered nothing that could help her decide. She did remember Link suggesting some Pit guy for the Sage of Light, though. She'd watch him.

But aside from that, life seemed to be pretty normal.

One morning, Sheik practiced her usual morning routine- get up, do a few warmup exercises, get dressed than meet up with Link and Ike at breakfast. Sheik quickly finished the first three, but when she arrived at the Grand Hall, she gasped when she found absolutely no one there.

Sheik's careful eyes scanned the Grand Hall closely. Every day the hall would be rambunctious, and a lot of noise rung. Instead it was replaced with an unnerving eeriness. Where was everyone?

"Oh, hey! There you are!"

Sheik spun around on her heels to find Ike crossing over to her.

This time she was too curious to bother with a greeting. "Where is everybody?" Sheik asked, astonished.

"You didn't hear?" he asked, puzzled. "Thought you knew. Anyways, the matchup for the next match has been posted. Brawlers are anxious to find out who's fighting next."

Slowly her questions were put to sleep. "A new matchup…" Sheik murmured. Then she looked up and laughed, as if she hadn't been so anxious beforehand. "Well, that explains it."

Ike smiled and glanced over his shoulder as if he were suspicious of someone watching them. "Anyways, Link sent me to find you, so I haven't seen the match yet. Come on-" Ike prodded his head toward the entry, "let's go."

Sheik followed Ike out of the Grand Hall, her nerves on alert. Would she be picked? Or would it be delayed again? Just those thoughts made the short walk to the list exhilarating.

The area was relatively easy to find due to the swarm of people (or sometimes things that couldn't be called people), all craning their necks to get a good look at the matchup in a small corner. A few looked around, probably trying to find how to get a good look or who was fighting.

"Sheik! Ike!"

Link exploded out of the crowd as if he had seen Ganondorf. "What the-" Ike cried out.

"You guys… you gotta see…" Link panted. Through the chaos running through his own head he wasn't able to finish his sentence.

Sheik tilted her head in curiosity. "Is it about the matchup?" That's what she hoped- she couldn't bear any more news about Hyrule.

To her relief, Link avidly nodded. "It's not good," he said mysteriously.

Blood seemed to be heating up in Sheik's veins, enough to barely allow her to move closer. Once she was near enough, Sheik got a good look at the matchup.

At first, her chest fluttered about with excitement. But quickly it sunk as well.

SHEIK VERSUS IKE

The former spun around towards Ike, suddenly feeling sick. She would have to fight her friend? They had to be kidding…

Ike looked down on Sheik, who wanted desperately to fidget- but not with everyone around. This would be her first match- it was like a test of her strength.

Going against Ike… not only was he her friend, but she also heard that he was one of the strongest Brawlers there. She was just a rookie- she had trouble defeating Assist Trophies, let alone Ike. How would she even gather up the nerve to fight him? What would Link say?

Sheik stole a look at the date inscribed underneath it. The match would be in about two weeks. Good, that gave her a good amount of time to train- but that's how long things would be awkward between the two of them as well.

Sheik inhaled a large breath, as if hoping that would make everything better. "Well… good luck," she offered meekly.

Ike didn't answer. His eyes just lingered on the matchup.


	9. Author's Note

Hey guys! Miss me?

So, this is just a little author's note to let you all know that I'm still here, haha. I guess you can say this went on a sudden hiatus (that's pretty obvious since I haven't posted a chapter since Halloween). Why?

First, in November, like I had warned beforehand, I focused strictly on National Novel Writing Month. Thankfully, due to a huge amount of effort, I won it and now have a bound copy of my book!

As for December, that actually was a writing month as well, but yet again I dropped Royal Brawler so I could finish my Wizard101 fanfiction before the year ended. Now, after two years of working on TNM, I have it done. I just need to post the rest of the parts...

On top of all of that... well... it's pretty tragic- the Wii won't read the Super Smash Brothers Brawl disk anymore! Because of this, writing this next chapter has been rather difficult as I no longer have that to rely on and make my fights was a writing month as well, but yet again I dropped Royal Brawler so I could finish my Wizard101 fanfiction before the year ended. Now, after two years of working on TNM, I have it done. I just need to post the rest of the parts...

realistic, especially since the next one is a fighting-oriented one. But now that it's a new semester and all, the homework has been rather low, so I've been able to focus on making it realistic, especially since the next one is a fighting-oriented one.

So yeah. This is just to let you know that I'm alive and thinking about this fic. The next chapter should come out in a week or two and the hiatus has practically been lifted.

~WritingBookworm


	10. Chapter 9: First Brawl

**A/N: My brain is mush.**

**First off, I'm really, really, really sorry that I didn't make my deadline in the Author's Note. My laptop kinda broke down... then we got it fixed temporarily, then it broke down again. But fortunately, I managed to get the chapter onto my Email. But for the longest time I had ZIP inspiration for the chapter, and after reading a few fanfics, I FINALLY got down to this.**

**So three hours of writing, two cramped shoulders, ten cramped fingers and loads of brain food (includes CrystalLight, chocolate-covered strawberries, and quadruple-stuffed Oreos dipped in chocolate mouse) later, this chapter is... DONE! Happy dance! 8D**

**But just to think, right after I get this chapter posted I need to begin working on ANOTHER chapter for another fanfiction... sometimes writing just stinks.**

**Anyways! Thanks to Sheikagal, Cimar of Turalis, Morumotto-chi, InkWoven, CrystalIceFire, TwilightWakerofTime, kingdomhearts4evar, Screen, Blades252 and DaZeLinker for all reviewing. Seriously, you guys are appreciated a lot- without all of your support, I don't think I would have made it this far. **

**So, enjoy! So sorry for the wait!**

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><p>Chapter 9: First Brawl<p>

Over the next two weeks Sheik trained more than ever. Her first battle would be coming up soon- and a first impression was a lasting impression.

Those fourteen days certainly dampened Sheik's and Ike's friendship. Every time Sheik tried to talk with Ike, he'd just keep a hard, unreadable face and eventually walked away. Sheik did notice that Ike kept sending her glances during training, observing her with a critical eye.

Perhaps he was keeping his distance from her because he wanted to lessen emotional pain. Sheik never really thought of Ike as the person to go through emotional turmoil, but it was the best theory she had as to why he was avoiding her.

On top of it all, Link was constantly forced to choose between spending time with Ike and Sheik. She loved it when he would spend time with her; however, when he spent time with Ike, Sheik was usually going through mental torture.

Because when Link wasn't around, Peach was. On and on Peach would be bugging the crap out of her when she had training to do, and it certainly didn't help Sheik to listen to Peach's fantasies about her and some Mario guy making out.

So Sheik was relieved when the day of the fight came.

Of course, she felt many tingling sensations in the pit of her stomach through the day- every step throughout the day was one step closer to either gaining a good reputation among the Brawlers or starting out by plummeting to the bottom. This feeling stayed with her all through the day and when she was warming up in a private room sheer minutes before the brawl.

"So, are you ready?"

For some reason, Link's arrival didn't surprise Sheik. She sighed and squared her shoulders.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

Link grimaced, trying to spear the thoughts of bad results away. "You know, I could always ask Ike to go easy on you, since you're friends and it's your first time fighting-"

Sheik cut him off before he could finish the sentence. "No," she said automatically. "If I want to win and make a name for myself, then I want to do that with my opponent fighting against me with everything they've got."

"But I don't want you getting seriously injured, either," Link persisted. "You know that people have _died_ while fighting in a Brawl. Roy, Dr. Mario-"

Her frustration was growing by the second. She was already as nervous as heck, and while she appreciated Link's concern, it was doing nothing to calm her down.

"Link, stop it," Sheik snapped, a little more hostile than she had intended. "I knew the risks to being a Brawler when I came here. Do you honestly think that I haven't thought this through?"

Link opened his mouth to protest only for it to slowly descend shut. His mouth tightened, frustrated. "I'm just trying to help," he said in a dangerously calm voice.

Immediately regret bubbled in Sheik's stomach, and she slumped her shoulders in resignation. "Look- I'm sorry. I'm just really nervous for this, and, well... that was just making me more nervous."

Link sighed. "Yeah, I guess I can see your point," he agreed. "I remember my first fight- I was so nervous that I threw up my breakfast."

Sheik's eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets. "You? The Hero of Time? Nervous?" The very idea was laughable. "Dude, you defeated Ganondorf, saved Hyrule... and me... and everything! You were nervous for a fight?"

Link chuckled. "Well, if you say it that way... even so. You were able to hide from Ganondorf for seven years. You helped me a good deal as I was saving Hyrule. You're able to call on the power of the Goddesses- and you're nervous?"

Now it was Sheik's turn to laugh. "If you put it that way..." Sheik trailed off, realizing that was exactly what Link had said.

Link grinned, knowing he had won. "Point is, you'll do great. Just keep a level head and don't let nervousness overwhelm you. Got it?"

Sheik smiled and nodded briskly. "Got it."

Her outside resolve didn't put a stop to her leaping heartbeats.

* * *

><p>"Ladies and gentleman, welcome to a new and exciting Brawl! First up, one of the fighters you love, the savior of Crimea- give your attention to Ike!"<p>

With that, Ike stiffly walked out into the arena, much applause on his heels. The cheer "We like Ike!" nearly blasted Sheik's eardrums off, and her hammering heart was doing nothing to help.

_Relax,_ Sheik told herself. _Link says you can do it, so you can do it._

Just the very thought of Link was enough for her to relax.

"And now, a new Brawler, with undeterred potential, please welcome- Sheik!"

The words 'undeterred potential' caused her to smirk at the sheer exaggeration. Quickly she realized that this momentary setback was delaying her entrance. She blinked a few times and sprinted out the door to make up for those few seconds.

Sheik slowed her run to a walk, then her walking gradually stopped. Her head rotated in awkward angles, digesting the overwhelming crowd. So many faces, so many people, all from different countries and cultures from all across the universe. The diversity trickled into her brain slowly, relaxing her muscles slightly.

Once again she was getting distracted. Sheik shook her head rapidly, as if clearing her mind of dust, then picked up the pace yet again to a swift walk.

She crossed over to her starting position, greeting the blue-haired swordsman there. She narrowed her eyes, trying to read Ike's expression.

And of course, it was unreadable.

Sheik held her hand out, the edges of her lips rising upwards to fashion a weary smile. She couldn't help but think of the simple gesture as some sort of peace offering.

Ike looked at her outstretched hand for a few moments, saying nothing. Then he joined her hand with his and shook it.

For a moment there, she could have sworn she saw at least a glimmer of friendliness in his eyes.

But whatever glimmer there was quickly vanished when the announcer's voice blared once more. "The setting shall be…" there was that weird sound again, the one she had heard before the start of Fox and Meta Knight's match, "the Bridge of Eldin!"

Sheik's breath stumbled. Wait- the Bridge of Eldin? That was in…

The scenery around the two combatants then broke into numerous pixels, all bunching together and training away into a white sheet. Then, all at once, new pixels flooded the white, completing a landscape almost before she had time to register what was happening.

The breeze pushed her blonde braid to the left as she surveyed her surroundings. A long, narrow bridge was the only thing that kept her from falling into a wide, gaping chasm- the thought of how deep it was and what might happen if she were to fall made her stomach do a backflip.

At least the scenery provided comfort- a castle melded in with a beautiful, forlorn sunset. That castle…

It was Hyrule Castle.

For that second, nothing registered. Nothing of the world registered at all. The world was only her and Hyrule Castle.

Hyrule…

What did it look like now? Navi had said that it was pretty much gone…

"BRAWL!"

Sheik whilred around on her heel and saw Ike charging straight at her. She paled- the match had begun and she had been too distracted to realize it.

Ike lunged at her with his sword, narrowly missing her. She wasn't going to take another chance- she flipped over Ike before he could realize what was happening. Her leg swooped down low and knocked his feet out under him.

She quickly brought out her chain as Ike recovered and prepared herself. No way she could afford to get distracted now.

Sure enough, Ike quickly recovered and brought his sword up into a defensive position. Sheik did likewise with her chain, spreading it diagonally in front of her face.

For the longest time, neither of them moved, red and blue eyes trying to penetrate into the other, looking for an opening. Sheik nor Ike provided it.

Her eyes slanted. _Come on…_

Unwilling to wait any longer, Sheik lowered her only defense and aimed the chain at one of his arms. Ike was quick to react- he shifted his position, allowing the chain to wind around his sword. He ripped his sword free, grabbed the chain and yanked it from her grasp.

Sheik tried to settle the flare of panic to no avail. Crap. Distance had been her only hope, as he might rip her to shreds if she fought up close.

Wait… her needles…

She grabbed her needles quickly and flung them at him. Ike seamlessly reflected them with the flat of his blade, wrist flicking back and forth as if it were dancing. All of the needles landed on the ground.

So. Long range really was out of the question.

Ike's sword swept at her stomach- she jumped out of the way just in time. The victorious moment was cut off short when she realized she was falling down, accidentally plunging off the side of the bridge…

There was no chain to help her up.

And she couldn't use magic in this form.

Even though she knew at the back of her mind that this was only a simulated arena, fear clasped at her heart and drove into her nervous system like crude spikes. She was so caught up in the heat of the moment that she almost didn't notice it.

A bright sphere drifting about in the air, the colors of the rainbow washing over it.

Sheik immediately knew that this sphere would help her. Her front teeth came down hard on her lower lip as she gathered any kind of strength in her body and used that to help her flip upwards.

She repeated the process over and over, not sure how effective it was. She didn't care to look out of fear that it wasn't useful at all. She simply kept throwing her body in circular motions, propelling her feet upwards as if she were doing it from a flat surface, slowly climbing up in altitude-

There!

Sheik wasted no time. Her hand clasped the edge of the bridge and promptly helped herself up and tumbled onto the stone. She rose to a sitting position, her breathing tearing their way free of her.

That was close… ridiculously close…

Her troubles weren't over yet. It took one close slash that Ike was still here.

It was a close call- blood red eyes enlarged when she saw that his golden sword was right where her head had been moments before.

For a moment, all she could do was stare. Why would he go for her head? Why try to… kill her? Were the fights in Brawls so intense that you had to try and kill someone in order to win a match?

Quickly enough she got her answer. She turned around to face Ike-

She recognized it immediately. The faint but all too familiar red aura was flanking Ike's skin. The same one she had seen possessing Matic, the same one in her dream with the Triforce…

All the color on her face drained.

However, there was little time to think- he suddenly lunged at her again. Once more Sheik got out of the way just in time.

Slash, dodge, slash, dodge, slash, dodge. When his attacks (which were blunter and slower than usual) and her nimble movements became repetitive, Ike finally raised his sword over his head and slammed his sword straight into the ground. Sheik jumped out of the way just in time, avoiding new cracks on the bridge in the process.

Sheik stared at Ike once she got a second of time too. The red glow was already much more intense than when she had last received a careful look at him.

There was no doubt of what she had to do. She had to put a stop to it, quickly. The question was, how? She couldn't get close to Ike- especially not now.

Her head swept the bridge avidly, as if her surroundings would yield a solution.

And yield a solution they did.

There was that multicolored sphere.

Being the Wisdom Bearer, Sheik rarely let her instinct take over. She usually sat down and thought things through carefully until she had reached a solution that she was positive would work. Taking action right in the heat of the moment rarely had good consequences.

But now, she had no choice but to trust her instinct.

Doing just that, Sheik launched herself off the bridge and to the air, straight at the glowing sphere. In almost no time she was right next to it, and rapidly landed a series of quick jabs and punches on the sphere.

After merely a few seconds, the sphere split into a variety of multicolored sparks. Immediately the arena was painted black, leaving her confused. She looked around for a source of light once she landed on the bridge again. Soon enough she found her answer.

Just like the red aura that was surrounding Ike, the same multicolored glow that once had surrounded the sphere now encompassed Sheik.

She raised her eyebrows while looking down at her hands, looking at them as if they were hands that belonged to someone else. It was an amazing glow…

The sound of heavy, rapidly approaching footsteps blasted her eardrums, forcing her to look up and see Ike charging straight at her.

This time she stood her ground.

Somehow, she knew what to do. She inhaled a strip of air, steering all of this newfound, unfamiliar energy into her chest. When she was sure that she had gathered all of it, she let the energy explode out with an exhale.

In turn, something materialized in both of her hands. It was much too bright to see at first, nearly equaling the brightness of the sun. She instinctively looked away, shielding her eyes with her shoulder.

The sheer radiance began to settle down into a tender light- powerful, but tender. It began to solidify, harden, and the objects abruptly filled space in her hands.

She opened her eyes and looked at what she held-

A bow and a single arrow made of golden light.

Sheik wasted no time. With a graceful movement, she loaded the arrow, drew the string, bent her back and putting her weight on one knee, then grunted as she released it.

The arrow flew through the air like a bullet, aimed straight at Ike. He skidded to a halt for a moment to get a closer look at just what he was up against. His eyes widened when he realized that the arrow was heading straight for him, but it was too late. The light arrow landed in his shoulder, powerful enough to throw him back several feet.

Ike's body than proceeded to bounce off the ground from the effect, sending him flying for a couple more seconds before ultimately skidding on the ground with a gravely sound that made her cringe.

Sheik than realized that she had been shielding her face with her arms, crossed like an X, braced for whatever else may come. But all was silent…

Gradually she lowered them, opening her eyes and taking in everything. The scenery was back to normal- no longer was it blackened. In addition, she no longer had that multicolored aura. Ike was…

Ike.

Oh no…

She darted towards the swordsman without a second thought.

For the most part, it looked like he was going to be all right. His eyelids was overlapping his bright blue eyes, the breeze ruffling his magnificent blue hair. And there was that red aura…

The aura.

Sheik placed her hand on Ike's forehead. How had she done it last time? Perhaps she just had to concentrate, think of it as if she were extracting a clump of dirt from water…

A new light shone wafted from her palm, slowly blending together to form a shape. The Triforce.

She smiled, finally willing her muscles to relax. Ike, her friend, was all right… things were going to be fine…

Then it happened.

In exchange for Sheik extracting the red aura out of Ike, a bucketload of energy was deprived from her, bluntly slid down her arm, and dumped itself straight into Ike.

Her breath snagged, and suddenly her vision began to slip and slide all around her. She felt loads more tired than usual, and she could have sworn her head was spinning somewhat. What was… going on…

Fortunately, Sheik was smart.

Some of the Goddesses' power that she had received a few weeks before… it had… slipped into Ike…

Sheik removed her hand from Ike's forehands and stood up. She vaguely heard something about Ike not getting up within the last thirty seconds as her vision swirled. "The winner is… Sheik!"

She didn't have any time to contemplate the words before her body hit the ground, blackness closing in on her.


	11. Chapter 10: Fire and Light

**A/N: Out of nearly thirty fanfictions, I'm sad to say that I have decided only to really, really focus on three of them.**

**Royal Brawler is one of those three.**

**So for you guys, this means more frequent updates. At least two chapters a month, more if I can handle it. I've also now outlined the entire fanfic- it's expected to have about twenty-five chapters and I like where it's going. :D**

**Anyways, I've decided to start replying to reviews. Here we go:**

**Sheikagal: Aw, thank you! **

**Cimar of Turalis: You know, I really like how you tell me just what I've done right and everything. It makes me really want to read something of yours... once I find the time. :)**

**DaZeLinker: Thanks, and I like the avi, BTW.**

**InkWoven: Yay! And ugh, the writer's block. It really is a pain in the frickin' behind, isn't it?**

**TwilightWakerofTime: Good to see you again! I looked up a Link to the Smash on your recommendation- I couldn't watch it. You're right, the grammar is... O.e As for the inspirational fic, it wasn't Zelda related... it was this Zutara one in the Avatar fandom. :P And I'll keep The Return in mind... I see that those fics have over 1000 reviews, holy crap...**

**Screen: Honestly? I almost did forget about this story, through school and life and my other huge book. And sorry about the special moves thing... like I said, SSBB doesn't work on my Wii anymore, so... ^.^'**

**Anyways, enjoy Chapter 10!**

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><p>Chapter 10: Fire and Light<p>

"Hey. Wake up, sleeping beauty."

Everything around her felt as it was blocked by cotton balls. She opened her eyes slightly, only to find her surroundings a white spiral with some darker spots here or there. She closed them again, waiting a bit to regain her sense, then opened them once more.

Zelda quickly discovered where she was now that it didn't like she was looking through a foggy window. Beds, so clean that the sheets seemed to be gleaming, lined both white walls. All were empty, save two. One of them she was in, with Link at her side. The other held none other than…

"Ike!" One moment her insides felt as if they were drenched, the next as if they were on fire. She sat up so suddenly that she could have sworn Link jumped.

The entire fight came back to her. The backdrop of Hyrule. Ike being possessed. And ultimately, some of the Goddesses' power going into him…

"You've been out for a few hours," Link said. "So has Ike. Both of you were rushed out of the arena after passing out. Shortly after arriving in the infirmary your body changed into your regular appearance."

Zelda then took note of the brown hair. So it had.

"Sometimes it does that," she said, unsurprised. "Keeping the appearance up for weeks at a time coupled with the fight I had- my body had lots of strain." She blinked a few times. "But enough about that. How's Ike?"

Link seemed very interested in the floor. "Well…"

Zelda shifted her position- the covers were getting hot. "Yes?"

"Ike… it doesn't look like he's going to wake up anytime soon."

Zelda cast a look at the young man two beds to her left and saw why. His ocean blue hair was matched only by the crimson shade his forehead took, sweat coating his entire face. A nearly inaudible whimper left his shut lips, accompanied by a trembling that stopped almost as soon as it started. Thanks to that shaking, she caught a golden aura around his body that she knew was stronger than it had been a second ago. A bit of red began to fade slightly, and all shaking had paused.

She stared at him for nearly a full minute, knowing automatically by the golden layer over him that something wasn't right. His body seemed to be having trouble with something, something that wasn't inflicted on him in the match…

Wait a minute…

The realization landed on her like a ton of bricks.

"The Goddesses' power… the gold aura…" her head whipped around to face Link, as if he could somehow protect her from the realization.

"Oh my Goddesses, Ike's a Sage!"

For some reason, Zelda expected Link to be surprised, stunned, anything among those lines. Instead he simply nodded.

"Yup. That's what it looks like. Though I can't tell which one…"

Again she looked at him, then stood up shakily, crossed over to him, and laid a hand on his chest. She closed her eyes.

It radiated passion, power and light, which warmed her as if she were sitting in front of a homely fire…

Zelda opened her eyes. "The Sage of Fire."

With a stab of pain she thought of Darunia, then was caught aback at how much sheer guilt bubbled in her stomach. Darunia didn't deserve to be killed, have someone else take his place…

But at the same time, she knew that he'd want her to be able to defeat Ganondorf again.

This knowledge gave her a small bauble of relief among the brewing guilt. Surely Darunia would have understood had he been here.

On the other hand, Ike…

Once more negativity overruled all positive feelings. Zelda almost whispered something to herself, something that Link caught wind of. "What was that?"

She looked at Ike, a large wave overcoming the inside of her chest, then sighed and turned to Link.

"What's he going to think?" she repeated, at a normal volume this time. When Link continued staring at her, she continued, "I mean, this is a completely new situation that he's getting himself- no, I got him- into. What if he can't handle this?"

"Ike is a Brawler," Link said patiently. "I think he can handle this."

"But…" Zelda walked from Ike's bed to her own, now two feet away from Link. Her hand hovered in the air, as if unsure of what to do with itself. "But he wasn't prepared for any of this. He isn't prepared for a threat like… Ganondorf's different from the usual Brawler! He's ridiculously powerful, you of all people should know that!"

Link let out a puff of air, then looked to the ceiling as if praying to the Goddesses.

"Look. Did Ike ever tell you about how he saved Crimea?"

Zelda shook her head.

"He told me that a corrupt king by the name of Ashnard waged war on a country called Crimea. He eventually obtained Lahran's Medallion, or the Fire Emblem, and became powerful, very powerful. It took hard effort, but eventually, Ike defeated King Ashnard and saved Crimea.

"What I'm trying to say is," continued Link, "is that Ike's had his own problems before- big, nasty problems. But he overcame them. And I'm sure he'll be able to do the same with being a Fire Sage. Even if it's like you said and he isn't exactly fond of his new responsibilities, I'm sure he'll understand the weight of the situation and, in due time, accept and gladly carry out his role."

When Zelda looked down, uneasy, Link finished off the remaining distance between them and laid a hand on her face. "It's going to be all right."

His voice was so steady, so firm, that she looked up, managing to restrain any tears of concern for Ike's welfare. Her eyes swept across his face, gazing at it as if trying to understand it.

Then a new, unexpected urge rose inside, freeing any concern or worry that she might have had a moment before. Her head steadily leaned in, her lips very slowly traveling to him millimeter by millimeter-

Zelda quickly realized just what she was doing and composed herself before Link could figure out what she had just been about to do. Her head looked the other direction, allowing scarlet to bloom on her cheeks.

"So- so Ike's going to be okay?" she asked rather distantly, the last few seconds ringing throughout her skull. What if she had finished it off and just kissed him right then and there? Goddesses, she should have kissed him, she really, _really_ should have kissed him, it was the perfect moment, why didn't she-

She was so, so so glad that Link couldn't see just how deeply her blush went. "Yeah, pretty much. If that doesn't comfort you, then maybe this will- remember how I suggested that Pit would be a good Sage of Light? Well…"

Her eyes widened, eradicating any thoughts about romance and Link, and the blush along with it. She looked at him again. "You talked to someone? And… and he said that he was willing to take part in this?"

Shadows of laughter bounced in between words. She couldn't believe it- another Sage…

Link smiled. "Shall we invite him down here?"

Zelda nodded eagerly, as if Christmas was coming early. A new Sage, _and_ he was happy to do it! "Yes!"

Link exited the infirmary, and a few minutes later he was back with a rather short, brown-haired boy. He was dressed in white and a bow was slung across his back.

Zelda walked over to them, eyes lighting up as she recognized Pit. "Hello. Let me just-"

"Wait, who are you?" Pit stopped mid-stride and observed her, cocking his head slightly to the side.

Her first instinct was to arch an eyebrow at him and plainly say that she was Sheik, but then remembered that Pit had never seen her in her true form.

"I am Princess Zelda," she explained. "Sheik is merely my alias."

Pit rested his chin on a balled fist. "Princess Zelda…" he muttered. Then he took in air sharply. "Oh! Princess Zelda! You're… you're Hyrule's missing princess!"

Zelda nodded slowly. "That's right."

"Woah… Hyrule seems to be blowing a gasket nowadays over your disappearance!" he said. "And now that this Ganondorf guy has taken over it…" His happiness was slowly overcome by the weight of the situation. "You and Link are the only ones who can save it."

Link spoke up. "Not quite." He walked over to Zelda and stood by her. "Not just us. We need help- help from the Sages, like I explained to you."

He wasn't looking at Pit, but the Princess as he said this. A smile graced his face, and she attempted to restrain the tingling in her stomach. Her efforts failed.

Link looked back to Pit. "And you said you would take up the responsibilities of being one of the Sages?"

Pit got down to a knee and bowed humbly. "Hyrule, from what I've heard, needs help. Lots of it. It'd be my honor to help it get back up on its feet."

"Are you sure?" Zelda asked. She tossed another glance at Ike, remembering her concern for him. Suddenly she was reluctant. "You still have a chance to back out."

A few moment's thought, then, "I'm sure."

"Absolutely sure?"

"Yes!"

She took a deep breath. Well, it looked like he was wholeheartedly willing to do this- maybe even eager. She looked at Link. He nodded briskly.

_Go on, it'll be fine,_ those blue eyes seemed to say.

While it didn't completely relax her or shrink the lump in her throat, it did allow her to give a small smile and encouraged her enough to walk up to Pit and place a hand on his forehead.

"You might feel a little tired afterwards," Zelda warned, thinking of Ike. He had gone unconscious from the effect- but yet again, he had also been exhausted from a long fight, so perhaps Pit would have a different reaction.

Now, how exactly did she do this last time? When she had made Ike a Sage, she had more or less done it on accident. Zelda racked her brain, bringing the memory to light. She had been extracting the red aura… then the Goddesses' energy had more or less dumped into Ike. Perhaps she just had to find that energy…

There it was!

Zelda closed her eyes and took a deep breath… then just like last time, she felt a bucketload of the Goddesses' energy tumbling down her veins then into Pit.

She removed her hand from his forehead, gasping right when the last of the needed magic had gone. She stumbled back, quickly grabbing a bed post.

Zelda clutched her head to keep it from spinning, and she could have sworn that she heard this kind of ringing in her ears. A groan escaped.

Pit…

With that thought she forced herself to recover. She looked up to see Pit just as dizzy, if not more, than her, and just like Ike he was sweating and a gold aura, although very thin, had appeared. He was conscious, but just barely.

Pit tried to take a step forward- he just swaggered like a drunken man. He looked like he was about to fall over. She wanted to help him get back on his feet, but Link was faster. He caught Pit's shoulder just as he lost balance, then led him to a bed right next to Ike. The horrible guilt that had flooded her when she had first seen Ike's condition was back.

"You all right?" Link asked him.

He nodded wearily. "Yeah," he said, voice struggling. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

Zelda gulped. She hoped so.

With effort, she stumbled to her bed. Link's eyes look to his right and caught her in the act. He sprang up, darted over to her, and took her hand. Zelda registered that someone was helping her, then looked at Link. She smiled softly before her head spun around again and found its way onto his shoulder.

It fit very nicely…

She found herself being helped into bed before she had a chance to truly savor the moment. She groaned again, finally resorting to laying down.

"We're finally starting to make some progress," Link almost whispered once she had settled down. "The Sage of Fire and the Sage of Light. We may actually have a chance of saving Hyrule."

Zelda said nothing to this. Instead she smiled gratefully at Link, serenity overtaking her for the first time in weeks.


	12. Chapter 11: Peach, Marth and Snake

**A/N: Whoohoooo! Who knows what day it is?**

**It's the first anniversary of Royal Brawler! 8D**

**So, naturally, I put out a chapter on this day. Man, to think I've been writing it for this long... and this is the fastest update in a while, too! Go me! :D**

**DaZeLinker: Hehe, you'll see. ;)**

**Sheikagal: Thanks! And I am too.**

**Screen: Hmm, that is true... Game and Watch _is_ pretty epic, especially with that scene involving him and Peach. :P**

**TwilightWakerofTime: Yeah, it really is hard writing a bunch of stories at once. That's why I'm trying to limit myself to only this, Uncontrollable, and The Last Theurgist. Man, I wanna post Last Theurgist soon, but I need to finish posting TNM first... Part 9 was almost ten chapters long... anyways, yeah, almost every game has a bittersweet ending. (Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy X, I'm looking at you...) Yes, I'm more or less having humanoid Sages... and I thought Pit was perfect for Light. However, I haven't played Kid Icarus, so I'm really wondering if I got him right...**

**Cimar of Turalis: Don't worry, I've got everything planned out, so no need to worry on the pacing. The last chapter was the only time where two Sages were introduced at once- and while there is another Sage coming in pretty soon (I think you'll be able to figure out who by the end of this chapter), he'll be the last one for a few chapters. **

**Guest: Thank you!**

**Celestial Dragon: Lol, don't worry, I've got this! :D**

**Disclaimer, I don't own SSBB or LoZ.**

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><p><span>Chapter 11: Peach, Marth and Snake<span>

"Huff . . . huff . . ."

Sheik rested her muscles a second longer than she had intended. Then she composed herself, drew three needles, then fired them all at the dummy at the same time.

It had been five days since Ike and Pit were named Sages. Both of their bodies had adjusted to this new power within twenty-four hours. As expected, Pit had still been his cheery self afterwards. Ike, however, had mixed feelings.

"So let me get this straight," he had said once Sheik and Link had cornered him and broke the news. "I have new Hylian powers and I'm supposed to combine this power with that of other Sages to defeat a tyrant that recently broke out of a magical prison?"

Sheik nodded, Ike's skeptical tone sinking into her skin more than she liked to admit. "Pretty much."

She stole a glance at Link, who offered a smile that all but quenched her nerves.

Ike simply stood there in silence. Said silence agonized Sheik. Her crossed fingers were starting to go numb . . .

Suddenly a grin crossed his face. "Sounds entertaining."

In a way, both Link and her had been right. Ike had been skeptical at first, but gradually grew to accept it, just as Link had promised.

Sheik prepared to fire another round of needles after retrieving the ones she had just thrown. Before she could, however, she felt a pair of eyes boring into her back.

She swirled around to see just who was watching her- it was the same guy. The same one who'd been watching her from a distance for a long time.

Her body froze, looking at her fellow Brawler. He wore all blue, with hair and eyes to match. He was practicing with a sword and looked to be about eighteen or nineteen- just a little older than her.

The two of them stood there, staring at each other. She was barely aware of the hairs on her neck standing on end. The world faded away, and almost everything was distant…

"Sheik- hey, Sheik."

Link awoke her from her near-trance, forcing her to turn around and look at him. She blinked repeatedly, staving off the sunlight that bounced off his hair. She then registered that all other Brawlers, save the Hylians and the guy who'd been watching her, had filed out of the Courtyard and back inside Smash Mansion.

"Time for lunch. Let's go."

Sheik took his words to heart and allowed her arms to fall to her sides at last. She followed Link to the Grand Hall, grateful for a break- her muscles, which were getting sorer by the day, had demanded one. The relief felt so good that it drove the blue-haired Brawler from her mind.

"Goddesses, I swear I ache all over." She closed the door behind her and walked down the marbled halls. Just as Link had said, she had gotten used to the Mansion over time. Now, instead of being marveled at the grandeur of it all, she simply thought it was only fair that it be this nice in return for all the training they had to do. She absently wondered if the architects had had that thought in mind.

Link spared her a glance. "You said that you did training at the castle beforehand, so wouldn't you be used to it by now?"

"The training I did back then usually lasted an hour at a time," she admitted. "And most of that was swordfighting and the like. This, however, is completely rigourous, and it lasts for almost the entire day. Looking back on it, I sometimes wonder how I get through."

The two Hylians rounded a corner to see the wide bronze doors that separated the kitchen from them. Finally, thought Sheik. Her stomach rumbled its agreement.

"Well, I suppose you don't get stronger by sitting around." Link yanked the door open, pausing once it was wide open. "After you."

Sheik took the opportunity and walked in, nodding a thanks to Link as she did. She proceeded to the food table, hearing Link shut the door in her wake.

As always, the food amazed her. Licking her lips, she selected a roll and smothered the insides with honey butter, got a variety of meats and loaded some applesauce as well.

"You go on ahead," she waved on to Link, refusing to take her eyes off of two pitchers. Which one was she craving more, orange juice or lemonade…?

Lemonade won out after a few moments of serious debate. She poured some of the liquid into her cup, then settled it on her plate. Done with getting lunch, she hailed Ike and Link and began making her way toward them.

She had just arrived to their table and was about to greet them when a pink and yellow blur flung itself in between Link and Sheik. "Hey there!"

Sheik felt as if a spring had just launched her into the air as she cried out and subsequently dropped her plate. The plate shattered on contact and sent its contents askew.

She took in the remains of her lunch as her heartbeat slowed and throat contracted. Then she took in the pink and white blur.

Oh no. Oh Goddesses, no…

It was Peach.

Peach, ignorant of the steam rising from Sheik's head, delicately waved her gloved hand. "It's good to see you, Shelby!"

Shelby. First Shein, then Sheila, now Peach had even stooped as low as to identify her as Shelby.

Sheik's teeth became increasingly numb. "Peach… for the last time, it's _Sheik_. Not Sheila, not Shelby, _Sheik_. S-H-E-I-K."

Peach's eyes wavered for a brief moment, startled by her reaction, but quickly switched to possess their usual perky gleam. "All right, Sheena!"

Sheik suddenly felt like strangling someone.

"Go away, Peach!" Ike spoke up, his eyes suggesting bloody murder. He had been a little more impatient than usual after recovering from his fight with Sheik. "Sit with your boyfriend or something."

Sheik agreed with Ike, her heart on fire. However, despite how freakishly annoying Peach was, she knew that she should exercise her patience as the Wisdom Bearer.

"It's all right," she mumbled. "Now what did you come here for, Peach?"

"I just wanted to show you something." She whipped out a piece of paper and shoved it into Sheik's hands, beaming.

Trying to dismiss the pink-clad girl's oogling eyes, she scanned the paper- no, drawing. And a very crude one at that.

It looked like it was drawn by a pre-schooler. Red and pink indistinguishable forms stood side by side, connected by two orange lines sprouting from both. These forms stood on a thin strip of green with a pink- was that a castle? Yeah, it was- castle in the distance. To top it all off, a smiling sun was tucked into a corner.

Sheik had to study the drawing for a few moments before the realization exploded. The red and pink things were Mario and Peach…

"What do you think?" Peach chirped. "It's a present for Mario, an expression of my feelings toward him! I put a lot of heart into it, which is one of the reasons why I'm worried about what he thinks. I mean, he's my boyfriend, so perhaps he'll tell me it's good… but what if he only says that _because_ he's my boyfriend? Well, what' I'm asking is, do you think he'll like it?" She twiddled with her forefingers, eyes refusing to meet Sheik and her cheeks resembling a very red rose.

In all honesty, Sheik knew that if she gave a picture that horrible to Link as an 'expression of her feelings' that he would throw up in no time flat. Of course, she couldn't let Peach know that.

But before she could reassure her that she had nothing to worry about, she saw that Link had craned his neck over Peach and witnessed the drawing. True to her prediction, his face dropped to a shade of pale green before his face tightened, barely able to suppress laughter.

"Oh yeah," he managed to spit out. "That's some _marvelous_ talent you've got there-"

Sheik elbowed Peach, cutting off Link's remark. "Hey, Peach. Who's that?"

She aimed a finger at a figure over by the doors- the one who'd been watching her.

Peach squinted, then her face broke into recognition. "Ooh, you mean Marth?"

"Marth?" Sheik looked at Peach, then back to the blue-haired Brawler. "Is that his name?"

"Yup! Marth arrived shortly before you did- I think he's from this place called Altea or something. He's quiet, and sometimes watches us in a way that creeps everyone out a little, but I think he looks like a good guy- if only he'd let us get to know him!"

Suddenly she remembered . . . Marth . . . yes, she had heard the name before, hadn't she? Her first morning after leaving Hyrule, at the inn.

"Marth's already gone- don't you remember? He left to fight in the Smash Arena for a bit . . . and he actually got in."

Sheik stood up from the table and, ignoring Peach's cries, set off toward Marth. She squared her shoulders when she saw Marth making no move as she came nearer.

Finally, once she was within a good distance, Marth spun around and walked away into the halls, his cape flourishing. Sheik quickened her pace.

"Hey! Wait up!" Now even his cape was out of sight. She broke into a run. "Marth! I just want to ask . . . to ask . . ."

She ran out of the Grand Hall and knew that her pursuit was useless when she couldn't see any trace of him anywhere.

"To ask why you keep watching me," she muttered to herself. Only silence was there to answer her.

* * *

><p>Training commenced once again at around two- a short break usually followed after lunch. And, as always, Marth's eyes were on her. He persisted to do so throughout the whole session.<p>

Dinner was coming soon- Sheik knew that because she could see the faint traces of a beginning sunset in the sky. She inwardly sighed- this meant that training would come to an end.

Her eyes fled to Marth yet again, focusing on him instead of the beanbag she should be punching. She lifted an eyebrow when his eyes met hers.

He was doing two things at once- staring her and absentmindedly swinging his sword around at the same time. He didn't notice where exactly his sword was going- a mistake.

"_GAH_!"

A cry of pain broke Sheik's and Marth's eye contact. Nearly all the Brawlers stopped what they were doing to see a Brawler dressed entirely in black doubling over in pain . . .

Sheik barely resisted the urge to clasp a hand over her mouth. There was a horrible gash on one of his arms, his black uniform quickly being soaked by red- and the tip of Marth's sword draped in red as well.

The Brawler in black's cries became seethes. He forced a hand over the gash, then looked up at Marth. His eyes were blazing venomously.

"Think it's be fun to fight with other Brawlers outside of the Arena, don't you?" he snarled.

Marth remained impassive, and Sheik heard him speak up for the first time. "I didn't notice you were there. I apologize." He turned back to his dummy, keeping his eyes off both Sheik and the Brawler he'd accidentally injured.

The other Brawler wasn't going to give up so easily. "You didn't notice I was there? Really?" His voice dripped.

"Uh oh." Link came up behind her. "Marth got Snake mad . . . bad mistake."

"Snake?"

"The brawler he accidentally hurt. Solid Snake isn't exactly a Brawler to mess with . . . he holds the record for defeating the five assist trophies you're required to fight to get in the Brawlers- about a minute. He's never lost a match he's been in and even _killed_ Dr. Mario, remember that headline?"

Sheik nodded numbly. Suddenly Solid Snake made all of her hair stand up on end.

Marth still refused to look at Snake. "Really."

Snake's face twisted into fury. "Like I believe that!"

Sheik saw what was coming a second before it did. Snake began running at Marth, muscles coiled- fortunately Sheik was faster that day. She dashed at the two of them and threw herself between them in the nick of time, intercepting Snake's attack.

In that moment, she wasn't scared of Snake. She wasn't afraid to look him in the eye and say, "You heard him. It was an accident."

"Accident," Snake repeated with a snort. "Likely story. Now get out of the way."

"No."

"Get out of the way before I force you aside, you insipid girl."

Sheik's stomach became hot. She forced herself to shove this feeling aside. "Again, no. You know the rules as well as the rest of us- no fighting outside of the Arena. If Marth didn't mean to hurt you, then you'll be the only one held accountable for breaking that rule."

"You-"

She cut him off before he could threaten her. "If your wound's so bad, Link will be happy to take you to the infirmary." She threw the blonde a look that he couldn't argue with.

Snake opened his mouth to say something, but ultimately closed it. He decided that a growl would suffice for the time being and walked away from Sheik and Marth.

Before he left whoever, he looked at Sheik from the corner of his eye. They flashed dangerously before he removed them again. The one flash was enough to cause her to gulp.

She watched Link and Snake go to the infirmary, and slowly everyone else filed back inside the Mansion as well- it was time for dinner. Marth was quick to join the crowd after sheathing his sword and disappeared among them.

Someone clapped a hand on her shoulder, startling her. She jumped to see Ike.

"Good job," he remarked, eyes shining. "I bet that took some guts." Then the proud sparkle in his eyes faded. "Just be careful now- Snake's a fairly dangerous enemy to have."

With that, he joined the Brawlers to dinner, leaving Sheik to stand there, alone.

* * *

><p>Sheik had no idea how long she had been looking for Marth. She had went into the Smash Mansion shortly, left to rely on instinct to guess where he could have gone (she knew Marth well enough to know that he wasn't at dinner). She scrambled through its halls, doubling back a bunch and nearly tripping over her own feet on multiple occasions. Never before had the Mansion felt like such a maze.<p>

At last her efforts paid off when she stumbled upon the Smash Mansion's backyard. It was a rolling, manicured lawn with an assortment of flowers, and tree of every kind were spread out almost artistically. The backyard was so nice that she almost didn't notice Marth out of the corner of her eye.

He was sitting by himself, eyes glued to the sunset. He was very rigid- spine as straight as a metric ruler, head held as if trying to peer over someone's shoulder, even his cape was left on the grass at an angle that exposed its handsome design. If Sheik hadn't known him better, she probably would have thought him haughty.

Marth didn't have to turn his head around to know that she was coming. "The sunset's very nice today, isn't it?" he inquired almost dismissively.

Sheik paused, impressed by his intuition. She glanced at the sunset- sure enough, it was beautiful, a perfect harmony of red, orange and yellow with purpleish hues flecking it.

"Yeah. I suppose it is."

Sheik took her place beside Marth. Some of the grass's dew soaked into her clothing. She held her head high as well, feeling a strange need to look just as assertive as him.

Neither of them spoke for a long while. At last Marth said, "Thanks for stopping Snake and I from clashing. You prevented a lot of damage."

Sheik nodded. Her gut contracted when she thought of Snake, and then of Ike's warning. "It was nothing."

More silence. The wind carried her braid. Through it all, she gathered the courage to speak up, knowing that this might be her only chance.

"Why do you keep watching me?"

Marth remained silent. Sheik looked at him, wondering when an answer would arrive. A few seconds more and she was just about to accept the fact that he wouldn't answer when he finally did.

"At first, it was for the same reason I watch everyone," he began. "To observe your fighting style and see if I could learn anything from it. But gradually, you reminded me more and more of someone, and when I watch you I find it easier to remember her."

"Her?" Sheik's curiosity was spiked tenfold. No one had ever told her that she reminded people of someone. "Who do I remind you of?"

For the first time, a corner of Marth's lip twitched upward.

"Caeda," Marth said simply. "Long blue hair, blue eyes, very pretty. She's kind, intelligent, exceptional fighter, has quite a way with words- like you. Caeda's also the princess of a neighboring country, and took me in after I was forced to flee my country two years ago."

Sheik's throat tightened. "You had to . . . flee your country?" Suddenly she felt as if a bridge had connected the two of them. She knew all too well what it was like to flee a country.

Marth nodded. "Yes. My father, the King, was killed in battle. Then I had to escape the castle along with a few guards, leaving my sister behind. Now she, along with Altea, is in the hands of an evil sorcerer known as Gharnef.

"After residing with Caeda for a while, word came around, about an excellent place to train- the Smash Mansion. It was hard traveling here, slipping under the nose of opposing countries, but I made it, and there a few of my comrades are undercover around the area to defend me should anyone attempt to attack me.

"That's why I'm here. Not so much as to participate in Brawls, but to train. To get stronger so I can one day defeat Gharnef, reclaim Altea and save my sister."

Sheik lifted her eyebrows. Yes . . . Marth's plight sounded much like the events concerning the Ocarina of Time.

And perhaps they could help each other out . . .

"I think I may know a way to help you get stronger."

Marth finally turned his head to look at her. "Is that so?"

Sheik nodded. "Perhaps you could start out by helping me save my country. You could become one of the Sages, and get some new power to help you save Altea."

Once again, Marth said nothing for the longest time. Only a furrow of his eyebrows gave her any clue as to what he was thinking. At last he directed his face toward the sunset.

"It is a possibility."

Sheik studied him for a few seconds, waiting for him to say more. When she recognized that he had no intention of doing so, she wordlessly joined him in watching the day slowly sink towards night.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: You know, I really, really enjoyed writing Marth in this chapter. I've always liked him, always knew that he was gonna be a Sage. Plus Shadow Dragon is just plain EPICNESS, even if it's annoying that characters die permanently. If you're looking for a new DS game, then I suggest Shadow Dragon (After Kingdom Hearts and World Ends With You, of course...). And I also loved mentioning Caeda. I always get upset when Caeda dies in Shadow Dragon... heck, I restart the entire freaking level when she dies because I love her so much. MarthxCaeda for the win!**

**Also, is it just me, or did anyone else feel a pull between Marth and Sheik in the last scene? I certainly did, discovering that they actually have a lot in common... oh, the things you discover about your characters. However, I'm definitely gonna keep it ZeLink- what kind of Zelda fan would I be if I didn't? :P**

**I'm gonna try to get the next chapter out on my happy fifteenth, let's see if I can do it! Cheers!**


	13. Chapter 12: Double Header

**A/N: So. Six months since the last update.**

**What in the world do I have to say for myself? What possible excuses do I actually have for taking so long? Other writing? School? Laziness?**

**A horrible combination of all three?**

**I realized in December how long I took and from then on, I wrote as fast as I could. I tried to get this out by the start of the year, or at least before Winter Break ended. And look how well that turned out. . . but hey, here it is! It was initially planned to be the longest chapter in RB thus far, but it passed the 7,000 word mark and was nearing 8,000 and well. . . sometimes you have to know where to limit yourself.**

**So, real quick, reviews! You've been waiting a very long time for this, I'm not gonna reply this time. If you're really saddened by this, then I promise that I'm going to do it the next chapter. So thank you Farore64, Fora Beast, Sheikagal, Screen, Guest 1 (I am gonna say something to you quickly- Peach is one of my favorite characters as well, so let's just say I have things planned for Peach. There's a bigger picture for her.), Blades252, AnriMia24, Guest 2, Guest 3, Purestrongpoem, Peach, .52 and racle. Love you guys!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 12: Double Header<span>

"Sheik! Hey, Sheik!"

The Sheikah allowed herself a moment's pause from training. She unconsciously ran the back of her hand across her forehead, extinguishing the sweat. Although she had just woken up and had only been training for a few minutes, the morning sun had been surprisingly cruel to her. It weighed her down like a ton of bricks, and she was sure that what skin was exposed was already sunburned.

Link was running across the surprisingly empty training yard, nearly skidding to a halt once he came to her.

"A new. . . matchup. . . has been posted," he panted. Obviously he'd run a long way.

"Really? Who's up against who?"

"If you'd believe it, it's a double header," Link straightened himself and raveled his intense shoulders, relaxing after his run there. "Two Brawls in a row. And you're in both of them."

Sheik nearly dropped the chain she'd been practicing with. Her head shot forward and her eyebrows rose. Her heartbeat seemed to accelerate ten times its normal speed.

"A double header?" she repeated incredulously. "And I'm in both?"

He nodded.

Back at Hyrule during her time as a princess, she'd received multiple lessons on mannerisms. Part of these lessons taught her how to keep her face impassive even when faced with a troubling situation. At the time she'd been absolutely bored, but now she was thankful for them. She had nearly been unable to keep her head on straight upon learning that Ganondorf had returned, and looking back on it, the fact that she'd temporarily let herself be ruled by emotions ashamed her. Since then, she had vowed that she would react to news properly, no matter how horrible it was.

Now it was time to put that resolution to the test. She held her head up high and cleared her throat. She tightened her face. "That's . . . interesting."

In spite of her efforts, Link could still sense that she was nervous. He offered a smile. "Look, it really isn't as bad as it sounds. After the first Brawl, there's an intermission. The length of it varies, but it's usually enough time to get you completely recovered from the last one and maybe even train a little. That way, you won't be able to blame your loss on account of tiredness or whatnot."

Sheik bit her lip under the cloth, eyes fleeing to the ground. For a while she didn't say anything, too absorbed in thought. A double header . . . two Brawls in a row. Link may have mentioned that she would have time to recover from the first brawl, but that didn't bring as much comfort as it was meant to. She could handle one fight, but. . .

She thought back to her Brawl with Ike. That had been very exhausting in itself, and now she was supposed to face two of those brawls in one day. . .

"So who am I up against?" she asked. Perhaps one of them would be an easy enough challenge that she didn't have to worry so much.

Then again, she could be pitted against someone like Snake.

The thought of fighting against Snake after she had faced off against him in front of everybody sent hot tendrils of fear coursing through her like lightning. She felt as if her chest was being tightly pressed against her ribcage, rendering many movements impossible. On second thought, maybe she didn't want to know.

But she had to, in order to properly prepare herself. There was simply no way around it.

To her surprise, Link grinned. "That's where the fun part comes in. The first one's a Dual Brawl- a team against another team. The Red Team is you and me."

The tightness against her chest exploded into a shower of joy. "Are you serious?" She wanted to sing praise to the heavens, perhaps even skip around a little bit. "That's fantastic! Who're we up against?" She was so elated that she almost didn't care who they were facing.

"Mario and Sonic- the Blue Team. Mario, while a good Brawler, is a bit overrated. Between the two of us, we'll be able to take him down. Sonic will be a little more of a problem since he is literally the fastest out of all of the Brawlers. But if we fight hard and work together, we can do it!" His eyes shone as if Christmas had come early.

Yes, they could. Brawling side by side with Link, against a team that she knew that they could take down if they worked hard? That couldn't get much better.

"That is so, so cool." Her voice was like a balloon that wanted nothing more than to take off and spiral around and around in the air freely. "And the second match?"

His smile plummeted, taking Sheik's ecstatic fervor with it. "That. . . is where the bad news comes in." His hand fled to his blonde hair, as if somehow seeking refuge in it. "It's you versus Samus."

Dread dragged her stomach down like an anchor. She hadn't seen Samus in a Brawl before, but she didn't have to. She had already deduced from her everyday demeanor that she was one of the toughest Brawlers around. Her don't-take-no-for-an-answer attitude, her physical prowess, speed and nasty-looking armor combined made her a force to be reckoned with. Some even went as far to say that she was a female version of Snake.

They could be right.

Sheik took a deep breath. "I guess this means I'll. . . just have to prepare myself."

"Right. Don't worry, you'll do great." He sounded almost as if he were trying to convince himself. Then his face lit up in the manner of someone who just realized they left their homework at home right when it was due. "And during the break between the two- we'll be alone. Everyone will be preoccupied."

She knitted her eyebrows. "Where are you getting at-" Then the realization slammed itself into her head. "You mean . . . that's when we make Marth a Sage?"

After that night she had with Marth, she had left him to think about it for a while. A few days had passed before Marth had approached her when the two of them were alone and had agreed to the transaction. Then it had just been a matter of trying to find a proper time and place where she could ordain him as a Sage without causing much attention.

"That could be possible," she mused to herself. "Marth could say that he's feeling tired and needed to head off to bed. Then he'll come to you and me, we'll go through the process, and once it's done, you can help him over to his room to recover while I fight Samus. Everyone else will be preoccupied watching the Brawl. It's perfect."

Almost, she added to herself. Except. . .

The time she had ordained Ike, she had passed out. And then when she had made Pit a Sage- well, while she didn't pass out, she had been feeling extremely nauseous. And now she was supposed to charge into a Brawl with Samus feeling that way. . . after making Marth a Sage, would she actually have enough time to recover?

Relax, Sheik told herself. If Link says I'll be able to recover, then I'll be able to recover. And even if not, so what? If losing a Brawl with Samus is the price I have to pay for saving Hyrule, then so be it.

* * *

><p>The double header was in a week.<p>

It wasn't much time given to her to prepare, given that she had had two weeks to ready herself for the Brawl with Ike. But still, she made do with what time she had, training harder than ever (that was saying a lot, given the practice sessions Brawlers had to undergo) and strategizing.

"Mario's pretty balanced," Ike said. The three friends had gotten together during dinner in an unused room. This way they could strategize in peace, with no one bothering them. "He's got both good speed and strength. However, he likes to fight close range. Sheik, if you could attack him from a distance with your needles and Link with your arrows, that would be great.

"Now to Sonic. His huge advantage is his speed. He's faster than even Sheik- heck, faster than anyone. He's also short and hard to hit. But he's not quite as strong as Mario, and sometimes he can leave his defense wide open. Thus, he'll have to rely on Mario for strength. That, and if you can get him to stop running- you've got this."

Sheik nodded. "And Samus? She's got a pretty good suit- it's safe to assume she's both strong and has high defense."

Link bit his lip. "You're right. Not only that, but she's not exactly slow, even in her suit. Her suit grants her a ton of stamina as well. She's competent attacking from both close range, given her strength, and from long range, taking her projectiles into account."

So Samus, in her suit, was proficient in nearly every area. She grimaced. "Wonderful."

Ike resolved on seeing the bright side. "Without her suit, though, she has lost some or her strength. That's a plus."

"But then Samus will be devastatingly fast," she pointed out.

Ike raised his eyebrows and gave a huff, as if he'd just been backed into a corner he couldn't get out of. "True."

Not only did she have to train and strategize, but since she was to team up with Link in the first Brawl, the two of them spent the majority of their training together, making their movements as cohesive as possible and helping fill in the other's weaknesses. Sheik tried not to blush during parts of those sessions- she couldn't let her feelings for Link get in the way of their training, after all. So she kept her mind intensely focused on the task ahead of her.

With the amount of time and focus poured into their training together, she didn't know what others would think, but she thought that they made a pretty good team if she did say so herself.

The day of the double header seemed to sneak up on her. The days leading up to the fights at first seemed to drag by, but before she knew it, the double header was upon her, and Link had shown up in her preparatory room to give her something.

Sheik's eyebrows rose when she saw what exactly Link was holding up. "Woah. . . that's. . ."

It was an exact copy of the Sheikah uniform- except in red.

She approached the clothing slowly, as if walking towards a time bomb. When she got closer, she saw that it was not exactly red, but more of a light pink that could be passed off for red at a distance. The cap and majority of the uniform were in this color, but the cloth that bore the Sheikah symbol was a dark yet vibrant purple and the cloth that wrapped around her neck was white.

Sheik gently rested a hand on the material and slid it over. It was soft to the touch and heck- clean, unlike the original one she was wearing. Everything on her original attire had been replicated to the T- she recognized every stitch in place, every mark right where it should be. Whoever had made this had done a very, very impressive job.

She looked up to Link, dressed in red as well, gawking. "How on Earth. . ." she trailed off, too stunned to properly finish.

He shrugged. "Beats me. But they're awesome, aren't they?"

She laughed uneasily. "That's one word that can be used to describe this."

Link smiled. "Well, here you go." He gestured to the red Sheikah clothing. "We're the Red Team, so this is only fitting."

"Yeah. . ." she said distantly, taking the attire.

Navi suddenly appeared from behind Link. If she had a human form, she guessed that the fairy would be smiling. "You two are going to be amazing together! I'll be watching from a corner."

She grinned, happy to see her for the first time in a while. While Navi had taken to living with them, that didn't mean she should keep from living a relatively low profile. Thus she could only talk with her when they were absolutely alone, which hadn't been very often as of late. "Thank you, Navi."

Navi dipped her blue body in the best nod she could manage before shooting off to a distant corner, flying so fast that no other Brawler could have managed to get a glimpse of her.

The Hylians were alone.

He drew in a deep breath before squaring his shoulders, looking at Sheik straight in the eye. "Well. . . I wish you luck." He held out a hand and smiled.

Sheik couldn't help but smile herself. She stretched out her free hand and shook it. "Same to you. We're going to do great."

Link dipped his head in acknowledgment. "Right." He then shut the door behind him, leaving her alone in a silence that strangely eased her muscles.

She made her way over to a bathroom, walked into a stall and changed into the red clothing, shivering as if she had hypothermia while she did so. How would both matches turn out? Would she be able to make Marth a Sage through it all? And if she were successful in this, how was this going to affect her battle with Samus?

Sheik took the words she and Link had shared earlier into account as she finished adjusting the final touches of the uniform. She had said herself that they were going to do great. Had that just been a random statement she'd made in the moment, or did she actually mean it?

Once she was done getting dressed, she stared at the leftover clothing, pondering for a moment whether to just leave them there or try to find some other spot for it. Knowing she couldn't waste any more time, she quickly decided that it would probably be best if she left them there. It was a private Brawler girl's restroom, and two of said female Brawlers were getting ready to fight, so she didn't really need to worry about it getting stolen.

She then looked at herself in the mirror, fascinated. She actually couldn't remember the last time she wore red. The color seemed to bring out her red eyes pretty well . . . she liked it.

She then closed her eyes, remembering all the work they had done in making sure that their teamwork was fluid, their training, their strategizing. Bringing all of this to her memory allowed a wave of ease to seep through her pores.

The feeling lingered. . .

She asked herself the question again. Had she meant that statement?

Sheik found herself smiling.

She did.

But there was no time to dwell on this. Arming herself with the best kind of readiness she had, she left the white restroom and began heading over to the arena. She ignored the multiple stares she got from viewers as she rounded a few corners, walked downstairs and entered a room that would have been shrouded in blackness if not for the open entrance to the stadium.

She spotted Link, who threw his head over his shoulder when he saw her coming in. "Hey."

"Hello," she greeted back as she walked to his side.

She wasn't sure of what else to add after that. Thankfully, she didn't have to- the event was about to begin.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome, welcome! Prepare yourselves, because boy, do we have a show for you- none other than a double header!"

The audience roared their excitement as if they were trying to blow up the stadium with clapping and screaming. The sheer noise would have normally made Sheik want to clamp her hands over her ears and curl up into a ball, but now she was used to it.

When the crowd had quieted down to a point in which the announcer could actually be heard, he continued the introduction. "Pitted against each other tonight are two teams of two. First off, for the Blue Team we have two of the most iconic Brawlers of them all- Mario and Sonic!"

She had formerly thought that the crowd couldn't get any louder than they had during the introduction. As it turned out, she had been wrong- dead wrong.

The cheers assaulted her ears mercilessly, as if the loudest drums in the world were stationed on either side of her. It made her ears physically throb and yearn to explode into millions of little pieces. Her hands instinctively reached to her ears and would have made it to their destination had not something thin jutted into her shoulder. She had to stop herself from jumping as she tried to locate the source-

Link. Apparently he'd tapped her shoulder.

"Hey," he whispered. Goddesses knew how she managed to hear him through the noise, but she did. "I have an idea."

"Spill it."

He shifted his body, tightened his muscles and licked his lips. "I was thinking. . . we'll, we're supposed to go out there together, you see. That's what happens in Dual Brawls. So what if. . . you know, when we go out there. . ." The next words came out of his mouth almost unwillingly, like vomit. "Howaboutweholdhands?"

The ending words were such a jumble that Sheik couldn't have comprehended him under normal circumstances, let alone amidst a roaring audience. "I'm sorry, I couldn't understand you."

Link gulped and subsequently took a deep breath. "I said, how about we hold hands? When we're being introduced, I mean."

The offer surprised her even more than the red Sheikah clothing. Her mouth opened, then closed, then reopened, at a loss for words. Various parts of her body became as warm as a fire, and her insides were bouncing around back and forth in both happiness and nervousness. She wanted nothing more than to preen in joy but found that she couldn't even budge.

It was just a simple hand-holding, true. But Link had seemed fairly nervous while asking her. Could that possibly mean. . .

The announcer began the second part of his introduction. "And now, representing the Red Team. . ."

Quick, she had to respond. But out of all replies, she cursed herself when all that came out was a stupid, "What?"

Link sighed and looked away. "I knew it was a bad idea."

"One veteran, one newcomer. . ."

Oh no. The time to go out was coming fast, and thanks to her utter smoothness, he thought his idea was dumb. "No no no, that's not what I meant!" She hoped that she didn't sound too desperate.

He looked back to her. She took that as encouragement to go on, and said rather softly, "I think that's a great idea."

"And a truly dynamic duo. . ."

His smile warmed her heart. "All right, then. Let's do it."

With that, he held his hand out. Sheik latched hers onto his eagerly, surprised at how natural it seemed. It wasn't as if their fingers fit the spaces between the other's perfectly or anything, but the connection was firm. Reliable. Trusting. And at the same time, soft and loving.

That was all she needed.

"Give a hand for Link and Sheik!"

And there was their cue.

Together Sheik and Link ran out of the safe dark room and out into the fray. Sudden exposure to bright light made her shut her eyes. Once she was used to the bursts of light against her eyelids, she reluctantly opened them up, screwed them back into focus and found herself used to the brightness.

Gradually, she registered her surroundings once more. She was in the same arena as she had been during her fight with Ike. This time, however, the crowd seemed to have tripled. She could see why- there weren't many double-headers. Not very far away from them stood Mario and Sonic. Sonic looked mostly the same as ever (though his resemblance to Shadow the Hedgehog reminded her eerily of her fight with the Assist Trophies), but she was so used to seeing Mario in his traditional overalls and red clothing that she almost stared when she noticed that the colors had reversed. Now he was wearing red denim overalls and wore a blue hat and shirt.

She looked back to her hand. It was still firmly attached to Link's, and more solid than ever. It was almost as if their hands had merged into one.

Holding his hand. . . doing great. . . the clapping. . .

A sudden rush of euphoria hit her like ice-cold water. Sheik grinned, and then, as if her body had a mind of its own, jerked their hands high into the air. The simple movement triggered even more whoops. A friendly kind of fire roared underneath her bones, and suddenly everything seemed exciting. With her heart racing fast and the adrenaline powering her movements, the screaming suddenly didn't seem very loud.

She shared a look with Link, pleased to see that he was smiling just as brightly as her.

The walk to the center of the arena seemed devastatingly short. Before she knew it, they both reached their destination within a matter of seconds. They let go subsequently- immediately her heart sank. The empty air was nowhere near enough to compensate for the feeling of Link's fingers intertwined with hers.

As per Brawler tradition, Sheik shook Mario's hands, then Sonic's (she tried not to feel necessarily creeped out by shaking the hand of someone not exactly human) while Link did vice versa.

"The setting shall be . . . the Battlefield!"

'The Battlefield'? That sounded extremely basic. . .

The Smash Arena and its spectators dissolved into a white backdrop. Quickly the backdrop came alive with color once more- except this time, she was no longer in the Arena. Instead both teams were standing on a small, hovering cobblestone platform. The cobblestone was arranged in a straight line save for part of it expanding into a circle at the center. Outside of the stone laid perfectly manicured grass. Above her head were three platforms arranged in a pyramid-like fashion.

True to its name, the Battlefield was indeed a simple arena.

It then occurred to her to look down. She craned her neck and looked below- sure enough, the ground appeared at least a thousand feet below. She made a note to herself to stay away from the edges- while this was a stimulated place and therefore wasn't likely to actually fall to her death, the experience of tumbling over the edge during her fight with Ike had not been fun. She certainly didn't want a repeat of that.

She looked at Link again and met his eyes. The two didn't say anything- they just exchanged nods to each other and directed their attention to the Blue Team.

_Let's do this,_ she thought.

"BRAWL!"

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><p><strong>AN: There you have it! Sorry for leaving off on that note. Again, the Team Brawl was supposed to be in this chapter but things didn't turn out that way. **

**Anyways. Guys. . . there's something I need to say. Something kind of serious.**

**There was this one story. I'm not gonna say what it was, but it got me into my OTP, it made me love Fanfiction, it influenced my writing style- heck, part Royal Brawler was inspired by it! I loved it beyond belief. But now, the author has deleted it, as well as all of her other stories. **

**Because of this, I'm going to make a promise. I promise that I will finish this story. There will probably be more six-month updates, there might not be. But whatever happens, don't worry. Royal Brawler will reach the awesome epilogue I have planned. In the name of this story that impacted me, I am going to complete Royal Brawler.**

***Deep breath* Well, no more sappiness. Seeing as how it's already over 3/4s done, the next update will come by the end of next week. And that's if life decides to seriously butt in the way, so likely sooner. See you then. :)**


	14. Chapter 13: Red Versus Blue

**A/N: Turns out, life did like to get in the way. You wouldn't believe the amount of homework I had. . . high school just sucks sometimes. I think we can all relate to that. **

**Reviews! Thank you Inkwoven, DaZeLinker, Fora Beast, AnriMia24, and Cre8ivBookworm (Gotta give you props. That actually is a creative way of saying your name...)**

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><p><span>Chapter 13: Red Versus Blue<span>

_"BRAWL!"_

The actions were all simultaneous. Link and Mario charged at each other while Sonic sped across the Battlefield. Sheik however, did not sprint, charge or anything of the like. With a quick, fluid movement, she unraveled her chain, flung it up to one of the platforms and hoisted herself onto the surface within a matter of seconds.

She set aside her chain and drew her needles. Her eyes scanned around the place, assessing just where everyone was. Mario and Link were fighting close-range, so tightly locked in combat that she couldn't quite tell who was doing what. In the meantime, Sonic was jumping, attempting to reach her.

She couldn't let that happen. She flung her needles at the hedgehog, satisfied when they lodged themselves in his blue skin. Sure enough, he wasn't attempting to jump up there anymore.

Good. But as a precaution, Sheik jumped up onto the top platform and landed like a cat. She was glad she did- now she had an even better vantage point.

It did, however, limit her fighting options. She could probably try attacking with her chain like she would a whip, but she doubted that it could reach that far below. Unless a smash sphere miraculously appeared, the only thing she could do was fire needles. And seeing how tightly interlocked Link and Mario were, attacking Mario was out of the question- what if she accidentally hurt Link?

So the only thing she could do was attack Sonic. And since the platform she had formerly been on was blocking some of her view of him, some of her needles probably wouldn't even hit him and just wind up on the platform.

Sheik grimaced. She couldn't do almost anything from up that high. Perhaps she should wait it out and see what to do?

No. If she waited, she would inevitably lower her guard. She had to try to take action now.

Her eyes darted about before landing on the platform to her right, the one opposite of the one she had attacked Sonic on. Mario and Link were fairly close to there. What if she went down there and wrapped her chain around Mario? It'd likely be able to reach that far. It would be just a matter of timing it just right and making sure it wasn't Link she hit.

It was worth giving a shot.

Sheik backflipped onto the designated platform, this time not quite landing on her feet and having to stop herself from rolling across it. She helped herself up to her feet and looked down on the fight between Mario and Link- now that she was closer she could make out the glint of a sword blade and the red of a fireball.

She wasted no time. The second Mario's back was turned to her she unconsciously fashioned a lasso out of the chain and threw it at him. For a moment it hung in the air, making her muscles coil and planting the certainty it would miss into her head-

It didn't. True to her aim, the loop fell around him, snagging around his chest.

She was so stunned that she almost forgot to yank it back. For a moment she could only stare before finally pulling herself out of her reverie and heaved the chain backwards. The movement had an effect of almost pulling her forward, for Mario was heavy. He gave a cry as he was lifted off of the ground and landed on his side a few feet away.

She jumped down, greeting him with a clean kick in the face. Then, with a burst of strength, Sheik yanked the chain upwards, pulling Mario high into the air. At the exact same moment, Link jumped, his feet rocketing off of the ground just as Sonic finally picked himself up and attempted to ram into the Hero. Sonic's sheer rush instead caused him to fumble and sail straight over an edge.

Meanwhile, Link had jumped enough to meet a flailing Mario's height. The blonde twirled right there in midair. His blade faced outward from him, making him look as if he were encased in a silver circle as he spun. Mario cried out, his hands darting to his chest.

Her jaw dropped. Link had not only executed a perfect spin attack, but he'd done it while up in the air. . .

Unfortunately, she was so lost in thought that she didn't see white gloves grasp the ground, nor the blue circle that subsequently smashed into her hip. The impact sent her sailing in the air like an arrow before the cruel ground ripped into her back and she hit her head on something blunt.

Sheik groaned and dropped the chin. Struggling to straighten her spine, she cursed herself. She should have never, on any account, lowered her guard. That was so _stupid_ of her.

But there was nothing she could do to change it. At least it taught her to be completely aware at all times.

As she got up, she noticed that her head almost seemed to have a heartbeat of its own. She prayed that she hadn't earned a lump when her surroundings came into view-

Her heart skipped a beat when she registered that Sonic's fist was now heading toward her face. She fashioned her forearms into an X and shielded her face, the blow landing almost right when she did so.

Sheik almost breathed a sigh of relief. Thank the Goddesses that she was fast- she'd blocked him just in time.

She then brought her foot up and slammed it into one of Sonic's knees, causing him to stumble slightly. He was imbalanced; she took advantage of this by grabbing his wrist, swinging it in an oval and slamming him against the ground.

She dared a momentary glance behind her. Both Link and Mario had fallen to the ground. Mario looked worse for wear with cuts and gashes dotting his body, but he was still conscious and trying to pick himself up. As for Link- he was out of breath and the hand not holding the Master Sword was on a knee, but otherwise he was able to stand. That was good.

Sonic groaned just as she looked back to him. She aimed a kick for his ribs only for him to snatch her ankle. Sheik grunted, twisting and pulling, but his grip remained steadfast. When it became apparent that he wasn't going to be letting go anytime soon, she lowered her spine to the point that it was parallel to the ground. She rested her palm on the grass as to support her balance as she delivered a nice roundhouse kick to Sonic's head-

But not before he twisted her ankle as hard as he could.

The pain was nothing like Sheik had ever experienced before. She clamped her lips down tight, refusing to let the scream building in her throat out into the world. She still could think clearly enough to know that she had to retain a tough front, otherwise Mario and Sonic would pinpoint her as an easy target and attack her. The bright side? From the way Sonic was clutching his head like a lifeline, her roundhouse kick had done some degree of damage. At least there was that to be proud of.

She forced herself to push pas the pain and stood up- pain lanced through her body furthermore, rendering it even harder to restrain her cries. Was it twisted? Sprained? Could it even be broken?

There was no way she could think about that. Not during the middle of a brawl.

She ran over to Link as fast as she could with the hurt ankle. "That was a great spin attack,"  
>she hurried.<p>

He chuckled and stood upright as if the compliment had been some kind of medicine for his tiredness. "Thank you. Your judo flip was impressive as well." Then he furrowed his eyebrows, screwing up his face. "You look like you're in pain. What happened?"

She decided to be honest. "Sonic did something to my ankle. Not sure what, but it hurts."

Link grimaced. His eyes darted forward- Mario had gotten back up on his feet thanks to Sonic. They were almost done regrouping.

"I'd be careful if I were you," he quickly said. "You've gotta take it easy, but at the same time you can't show how much it hurts otherwise that's exactly what the other two will be going for."

Like I don't know that, Sheik thought bitterly.

"We could both try going onto the platforms- that is, if your ankle allows it," he suggested. "It's at least better than standing around and waiting for them to attack us."

She nodded. It wasn't exactly the best plan, but at least it was a start. And she wouldn't under any circumstances let her injury get in the way of winning this Brawl.

That turned out to be easier said than done. Link jumped off and grasped a platform in a fluid motion, but Sheik couldn't seem to reach the platform without being in for a world of pain. Just moving it slightly contorted her face into a tight grimace; trying to jump or even trying to climb her chain? That would cause her to lose all control and probably scream her head off.

She looked up at Link, the platform, then to a charging Blue Team-

A plan dropped into her head like a bomb.

It was simple, but also crazy, pretty stupid, and potentially insane. But it didn't involve jumping up ten feet with a hurt ankle.

"Link, I'm gonna charge both of them head on," she said carefully, as if the annunciation might determine her success. "While I distract them, use your bow and arrows to wound them. They've got greater range than my needles."

"Wait, _what_? I can't let you-"

She didn't hear the rest of his sentence Both Mario and Sonic were charging her like bulls, and unless she wanted to be ran over, than she had to charge back.

She lowered her head slightly in the manner of someone about to snarl that they weren't afraid. Her legs seemed to move toward them on their own accord, ignoring the wise part of her that was furious and the underlining anxiety. . .

Too late now.

Sheik suddenly stopped running as if she had run into a wall and brandished her chain like a whip. The links clinked almost angelically as it lashed out at the blue-clothed fighters. Sonic thought fast and ducked, but Mario wasn't as fortunate. He grunted as it stung his stomach and ripped through a bit of his overalls.

She wasn't quite satisfied with her result. She lowered herself so her knees were hunched and torso facing the ground. She held her chain out, and then spun on her good ankle to make the chain rotate in a manner similar to Link's signature spin attacks. The chain hit both pairs of ankles hard, causing them to land face-down on the ground.

She stood up just in time to see an arrow protruding from Sonic's torso, then another one landing in Mario's arm. Something hard mentally hit her chest and vibrated through her bones in a satisfied way. It looked like her plan had worked.

Mario looked around in a daze, his pupils wandering aimlessly until they settled on Link. His eyes blazed with fury as he picked himself up once more and began running toward the platform Link stood upon.

She noticed this just as she finished putting her chain back up her sleeve. Her face became the color of Arctic ice. Oh no, that didn't look good. If Link were to become as injured as she was, then that was it. They would have almost no chance of winning the Brawl. . .

So she would have to stop him.

She would have revealed her chain once more, but she couldn't let absolutely anything get in the way of her objective. For now, her fists would have to do.

While Mario was sprinting toward Link, in the process making sure to avoid every single one of his arrows, Sheik had her sights set on him. She too began running, quickening her pace to try to reach Mario before he got to Link. Tears of pain pricked behind her eyelids when tons of continuous pressure was put on her ankle. The words _run run run_ pounded in her head like some sort of chant, and before she knew it it felt like millions of needles were digging themselves into her ribs. . .

Out of the corner of her eye, something blue flashed by. Automatically knowing what it was, she slammed her heels into the ground. Once again pain electrified her as that simple action strained her ankle furthermore.

There was no way she could hold it in any longer. Some of the tears that had welled up streamed down her face. A groan ripped her lips open and plummeted to the ground.

Almost before she knew it, Sonic had reappeared in front of her. Blood and scratches dotted multiple parts of his body, and he looked like he wanted nothing more than to just fall on the ground and pass out.

While he was tired and had that arrow sticking out of his body, he still had enough adrenaline in him to keep fighting. For a sliver of a moment, Sheik held respect for him. Struggling to keep fighting herself, she knew just how hard that was.

That respect vanished when his fist flew straight toward her face. She attempted to bring up her arm to block once again, but this time she was too late. The impact throbbed as if a brick had fallen on her face, and she was sent staggering back. She attempted to retaliate with a punch of her own, but being in a daze, she just hit thin air.

Her head spun around before she blinked rapidly, re-digesting her surroundings. Apparently she hadn't been successful in her efforts to prevent Mario from getting to Link, for Mario was jumping on the highest platform, right on Link's tail. Link, in the meantime, seemed to have his sights set on something else. She followed his gaze. . .

She automatically stopped breathing as if she'd been punched again.

There it was, floating high up in the air. The metal orb, washed over with a rainbow of colors.

The Smash Ball.

Everyone was tired. Anyone could win at this rate. Whoever got the Smash Ball would win the Brawl- she knew it.

Sheik absolutely had to get it.

With that resolution in mind, her surroundings seemed finer, crisper. A wave of hope, powerful enough to momentarily dispel the pain, washed over her. It allowed her good instincts to take command, telling her to duck when Sonic came at her again and subsequently grasping his shoulder with a firm grip. She closed her fingers around the shaft of the arrow and, knowing that he'd lose more blood if the arrow was removed from his body, yanked the arrow out.

She spun around and discarded the arrow right as she did so. A thump reached her ears, and she had a feeling that she knew what had fallen on the ground. Her conscience told her to look back, but her body refused to grant the request.

Instead she began running toward the platforms, doing her best to ignore both the way she was forced to limp sometimes and the pain that her ankle sent running up her veins. Drawing off of the adrenaline like a drug, she barely thought as she jumped and landed onto the platform. Sheik quickly assessed her surroundings yet again- on the topmost platform, Mario had caught up to Link and was sending a torrent of water at his chest thanks to a yellow fire hydrant of some sort. The impact sent Link flying and landing on his back with a grunt.

She stepped forward and reached her hand out as if to make a move toward them, but the announcer's voice appearing suddenly stopped her. "Sonic defeated!"

She had to force herself to ignore the churning in her gut. So pulling the arrow out of him had caused him to lose enough blood to pass out. Now it was two against one. . .

And they had the advantage.

Now, if she could just get up there. . .

Her eyes darted about before landing on the Smash Ball. There it was, hovering over Link and Mario for a moment before slowly gravitating toward her. . .

Perfect.

Sheik lowered her body while keeping her eye on the Smash Ball like a tiger waiting for the exact moment to strike its prey. Without warning she sprang into the air. Three feet high. . . five feet. . .

Soon she was level with the Smash Ball.

In her position, many would have been overcome by sheer nerves, rendering them unable to do anything before it was too late. Not her. The Triforce of Wisdom gave her a steady mind (albeit acts of rashness from time to time) - one she gladly used to keep a clear head in the moment. She kept her mind extremely rigid as she jabbed the Smash Ball. It levitated away from her just as she attempted to hit it a second time. When she felt herself falling, she connected her knees to her chest and flipped, propelling her body specifically closer to the Smash Ball and higher into the air.

Her head throbbed briefly, dizzy from the flip. The bright light from the Smash Ball stabbed her eyes. It forced her to turn her head away, as if perhaps she might find some sort of security there. Jabbing blindly, she felt nothing but hollow, hot air until her fingers slammed into something hard and impenetrable.

Her fingers stung from the very sudden impact, but she didn't care. Just one more hit and then she could unleash her Light Arrow on Mario and win the Brawl. . .

Sheik turned her head back to the Smash Ball- or, at least, the place where she had thought the Smash Ball was. Where. . . where was it?

Panic gripped her like a fist. Her head spun all over the place as gravity pulled her down, trying desperately to relocate the Smash Ball-

She found it quickly. The Smash Ball had sailed upwards, at least ten feet over her head. Dread settled into her stomach. Her ultimate shot at sealing their victory was lost.

No, she scolded herself. I've got to keep trying. If I work hard, I can probably get up to it. . .

She swallowed so hard that it physically hurt. Her chain wasn't long enough to reach that high, so she would have to get to the Smash Ball herself. She rotated her body in a flip, propelling herself higher. When she saw that the Smash Ball was out of her reach, she tried flipping again, and again and again and again. . .

The Smash Ball just kept drifting away with her. It was floating away from her faster than she was catching up to it. . .

She had to face it. There was no chance of getting it.

And to think that she had been so close. . .

From the corner of her eye, the left edge of the Battlefield whizzed by in a brown blur. She instinctively reached for her sleeve, drawing out her chain yet again. If she couldn't use her Final Smash, then the least she could do was not fall to her doom and leave Link alone to face Mario.

She grunted as she threw the chain toward the ledge. Much to her silent appreciation, the chain snagged on something immediately and apparently that something was enough to hold her weight.

She was careful in how she climbed it, trying to go as fast as she could while trying not to move her ankle one bit. She tried not to think about her failed attempt of getting the Smash Ball and made herself think solely of climbing, putting one hand in front of the other. The rusty smell of metal imprinted on her hands and filled her nose. The links were steadfast, seemingly unbreakable. She found herself taking comfort in the sturdiness- apart from Link, it was the only thing she could truly count on during this Brawl.

But even that proved to be unreliable. Just as she made it to the ledge, just as she could allow herself to sigh in relief and relax for a brief millisecond- the links became as loose as water.

The end that was supposed to be attached to the ground slithered backwards and tumbled over the edge. Had she not had a tight grip on it, the chain probably would jave fallen straight down.

Gasping, one of Sheik's hands transitioned from holding the chain to gripping the ledge with a grip as hard as steel. It was a miracle that she had been as close as she had been. . .

Pants tore out of her mouth and every part of her body that wasn't clinging onto something or injured shook terribly. For a moment she simply hung there, tired and limp, when she collected the energy to look up-

Mario loomed over her.

Well, now she knew why the chain hadn't been able to support her.

He smiled. "I've-a got you now!"

Her eyes widened. If this had been any other time, she probably would have chuckled at how silly he sounded with his accent, but this wasn't any other time. This was a Brawl, and a threat- even if it was spoken in a way that could be considered laughable- was a threat. Threats had to be taken seriously.

This wasn't good. As wounded as he was, he still looked ready for a fight when she so really wasn't. Not only that, but he had thoroughly cornered her. He was blocking the way back up to the surface and was more than willing to send her plummeting off the edge yet again. . .

He really had cornered her.

Just then, blackness coated her surroundings like a blanket of darkness. She couldn't even see the ledge she was grasping. What was going on-

Sheik realized why it was dark just before it happened.

Light stabbed her eyes- a multicolored light that outlined Link. Mario turned around to see him- big mistake.

For that mistake made it all the more easier for Link to encase him in the middle of a human-sized, glowing- she blinked. Was that a Triforce?

It was, and Mario was stuck in the center. All he could do was hang helplessly in the air, unable as Link slashed him with wide, relentless strikes. One of them induced something that sounded akin to a twig snapping in two. She winced, knowing full well that something of Mario's had just broken.

Link stopped slashing for a pregnant moment, allowing her a brief moment to marvel at his strength. Then he drew the Master Sword back and brought it down on Mario for one final slash.

The impact caused the Triforce to dissolve and Mario to shoot in the air. His wails made her spine go rigid.  
>She did not, however, have to listen to them for long. They were cut off abruptly when she heard something that sounded very much like an explosion.<p>

"Mario defeated!"

Her eyes widened. What had just happened? Was Mario. . . Okay?

A voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "Hey. Need a hand?"

She looked up to see Link's face hovering over hers. He wore a tender smile and held his hand out.

Sheik grinned as if she were on top of the world. "That would be much appreciated," she confessed as she took his hand. He pulled while she used her other hand to support herself. She swung a leg up and latched it onto the ground. It was easy to bring herself up completely after that.

Just as she straightened herself, the Battlefield dissolved back into the Smash Arena. She was back to reality- the stands, audience, the screen that showed what was going on to those who were way back in the nosebleeds. On top of all of that, something else had been added- the forms of both Mario and Sonic on separate stretchers, being carried out of the Arena.

Her lips curled in sympathy. She did hope they were all right. . .

Not only had the visual aspects of the place returned, but also the noise- the audience roared with clapping an applause. Some were chanting "Link! Link! Link!" while others shouted "Sheik! Sheik! Sheik!". There were a few ardent supporters of Mario and Sonic who threw "Booooo!"s into the mix as well, but they stood no chance of numbering the cheers.

"And the winner is. . . Red Team!"

With that, she forgot about Mario and Sonic. She forgot about her injured ankle and the oncoming Brawl with Samus. The rush of victory sizzled her skin and flooded her chest. She wanted to celebrate, give thanks to those who supported her, and maybe-

A tap on her shoulder pulled her out of her reverie. Link.

"Marth," he said, pointing to the entry in which they came from.

She understood. Sheik dropped the victory from her mind and began heading down over there with Link. There wasn't time to dwell on this- not when they had many other things to do.

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><p><strong>AN: So which Sage do you guys think Marth is gonna be? And how will Zelda fare against her battle with Samus? For make no mistake, Samus will be a challenge. . . then again, Zelda's getting good at overcoming challenges.**


	15. Chapter 14: Spirit

**A/N: Well, here it finally is. ^.^ After this chapter, things are gonna start getting good. **

**Reviews! Thank you Inkwoven, AnriMia24, CreCra, Fora Beast, Screen, Sheikagal, The Uncanny X-Fan and 4everallways. I want to reply to your reviews, but I'm pushing my bedtime. T.T I'LL RESPOND TO YOUR REVIEWS NEXT TIME. I SWEAR.**

**But for now, have a chapter.**

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><p><span>Chapter 14: Spirit <span>

"Gyyaaaaaah!"

Sheik couldn't help it. She may have won her Brawl with Link, but now she was reaping the consequences. She was in some of the worst pain she'd ever been in in her life. When the ice pack was placed on her ankle, she went through something akin to millions of tiny little needles stabbing her already bad ankle. So of course she had to cry out in pain.

Somehow she managed to listen to Link in spite of feeling like she'd been set on fire. "Hey, it's all right." He turned from her briefly to get something she couldn't see from narrowed eyelids. "I know this really hurts, but you're gonna be just fine."

But what if she wasn't going to be just fine? After all, on top of her ankle, she had to ordain Marth, and in the process be severely drained of energy.

Then she'd have to go up against Samus, arguably one of the toughest Brawlers in the Smash Brothers, if she hadn't already passed out from the ordination.

She realized that she had thought out loud by Link's next words. "Don't worry. There are plenty of special food and other items that can patch you up unbelievably quickly."

"Does that mean that Mario and Sonic are going to be okay?" Even through all of her pain, she couldn't help but be concerned for them as well. "After all, the injuries we inflicted on them-" she seethed through her teeth when part of the ice pack slipped off and continued with a strangled voice, "weren't exactly minor."

"True, but we've got many skilled fighters here, right? And with every skilled warrior there should be a healer who is just as competent. So we have several doctors here that'll be able to help both of them recover. Granted, they may have to be in the infirmary for a while, but at the end of the day they should be fine."

Sheik breathed out a sigh of relief. "That's good." She leaned her head against the wall and released a deep exhale. Finally she was getting used to the ice's touch. The pain was beginning to subside.

Link noticed this and smiled. He then bent over, grabbed something from a silver platter of food that she had seen some attendants bring in earlier, and presented the food to her. "Here you go."

She eyed the strange, red-spotted triangle warily. "What's that?"

"Pizza. Not something that's commonly found in Hyrule, but it's still really good." He stretched his arm even farther. "Go on. Take it." He chuckled when she grew uneasy. "It won't kill you."

She remained still for a few seconds. Then, finally trusting him, she accepted the greasy pizza and took a cautious bite. The soft but bold flavors were nothing like she'd ever experienced before.

Then she felt a warm tingling caress her ankle. Intrigued, she looked at it to see it glowing in a golden light.

"Ah, there we go," said Link, appearing satisfied. "See, the food's actually enchanted. It has healing properties."

"I see," she said distractedly. "So they can utilize both technology and magic. . . I wonder what Hyrule would be like if technology was available."

Link pondered the idea for a moment. "I don't know. It could be used for a lot of good. . . But it could be used for a lot of evil as well."

He turned his attention back to the platter and grabbed a water bottle. "As soon as you're done with that, drink this. Then eat the rest after Marth has been ordained. By the end of the rest period, you should be back to your full strength."

She took his advice, finishing the pizza and moving on to the water bottle. Marth had great timing—as soon as she finished drinking the water, he walked into the room and said, "It's time."

That it was. Sheik wiped off drops of water with a napkin and, with a deep breath, stood up. She was careful not to put any pressure on her ankle. "Let's do this."

Marth crossed over to her and subsequently lowered himself to one knee. He bowed his head.

She needed to give him the same chance that she did Pit. "Once you receive these powers, there's no going back," she said. "Are you sure that you want to go through with this?"

"If I wasn't, then what are these plans for?"

She smiled. Then, bracing herself, she gingerly laid her hand on top of his head, his dark blue hair cushioning the spaces between her fingers. She closed her eyes and focused on finding the power of the Seven Sages deep within her. She found it almost right away. Forest, Water, Shadow, Spirit—

One of the magical powers suddenly sprang up, entered her veins, and rushed down into Marth. When the last spark of the energy left her, her body sagged as if a weight had just been pressed down on her shoulders.

Knowing that the chair was right behind her, she sat back down on the wood without opening her eyes. She tilted her head toward the ceiling, giving herself a chance to catch her breath and clear her head a little.

She'd done it. . . so far, this was looking good. . .

Then she stopped herself. Now that she had just made Marth a Sage, which one was he?

Sheik looked within herself again, taking a good hard look at the powers that remained. Water, Shadow, and Forest. . .

No Fire, Light or Spirit.

At last she opened her eyes to see Marth looking not much better off than her. He was holding his head in his hands, Link placing a hand on his shoulder to help him stay upright. "Congratulations, you're a Sage. Now don't push yourself too much. . ."

He looked over his shoulder to her. "I'm going to take him over to the dormitory. Are you all right here by yourself?"

"Of course," she said. "Don't worry. I can take care of myself."

Link smiled. "I know you can." He opened a door and guided Marth out of the room. Soon both of them disappeared from sight.

After a huge Brawl and ordaining Marth, Sheik had to say, she appreciated the silence. As the hammering of her heart began to recede, she reached her hand toward the food, her fingers closing in on a hard, cold and ripe apple. She sank her teeth into it, the magic caressing her ankle barely a second afterward.

She finished the apple and the cheese that followed. She was working on a bowl of rice when Link reentered.

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Glad that's over. So, which one is he?"

"Spirit."

"Spirit. . . who knew? Well, three down, three to go."

His words put a pause to her eating. Three down, three to go. . . that meant they had already found half of the Sages. They were halfway there to saving Hyrule.

She almost laughed, a bright beam of hope rising inside her. "We're starting to get close, Link. We're actually getting there."

With that, Sheik devoured the rest of her rice. She stood up and spun her ankle around in circles—no pain followed.

Her grin just got wider. With Link and her being one step closer to saving Hyrule and her ankle feeling all better, she felt ready to take on absolutely anything.

And anything included the oncoming Brawl with Samus.

"Ladies and gentlemen, now we advance to our next round! A Brawling prodigy, a force to be reckoned with and one of the victors of the last Brawl. . . please welcome, Sheik!"

Squaring her shoulders, Sheik strode into the Arena with purpose, holding her head up high. She ignored the cheers from the audience, fixing her eyes on the starting point. She was about to meet her biggest challenge yet. She had to be focused—so very focused.

She quickly arrived at the middle of the Arena and stopped, rooting her feet deep into the ground. Inhale . . . exhale. Inhale . . . exhale. Inhale . . . exhale.

She could do this.

She could win this.

She _would_ win this.

"And now, she's fast, she's strong, she's _dangerous_—our favorite bounty hunter, please welcome, Samus!"

A woman subsequently entered from the opposite side of the Arena. With golden hair tied up in a high ponytail, a cyan bodysuit hugging her graceful physique and a predatorily gleam burning in her eyes, she was easily identified as Samus. Many males in the audience whistled.

Sheik took yet another deep breath. This was it. Outwardly, she was completely still. Inwardly, she was screaming at herself to get out of there while she still could.

But she was a Brawler. She'd been preparing for this. There was no way she was going to back down. She was going to cream Samus—she'd make sure of it.

That allowed her to smile a little.

She held her hand out once Samus stood right in front of her. For a moment she eyed it critically, and then Samus gave a single, firm shake before dropping her hand once more.

"The setting shall be. . . Shadow Moses Island!"

Sheik kept her eyes on her opponent as the crowd and the Arena faded to white only to transition to a new backdrop. Dark black surrounded her and cold air whistled through the small, metallic space.

For one moment, she allowed her gaze to break off of Samus to observe her surroundings. Perhaps she could use them to her advantage. Anything that could help her at all would be fantastic.

Just as she had guessed, her surroundings were made out of metal—or some sort of version of it. There was a chance that it wasn't, as they were more of an aqua blue than gray. Two platforms, connected to opposite pillars, hung above her, finally ending in a ceiling. Immediately she began working on the best plan she could come up with.

Sheik diverted her gaze back to Samus, who in turn glared at her. She mentally armed herself. . .

"BRAWL!"

Sheik acted before she could second-guess herself. She began charging straight for the platform farthest from her, but quickly changed her mind as Samus brought out her electrical whip. She spun on her heels and jumped on the opposite platform instead. She landed nimbly on her feet.

Sheik drew her needles and hurled them at Samus. Just before the needles could make contact, Samus sprang onto the left platform, landing cleanly as well. She withdrew a silver weapon from its holster and fired rapidly at Sheik. She danced, twisted and ducked, weaving herself through the laser bullets. She was forced to stop when one of the bullets scorched her arm.

Samus took advantage of her recoil, hooked her electric whip to Sheik's platform, then swung over there. Panicking, Sheik dropped to the ground and rolled off of the platform. She didn't have time to brace herself for the jolting impact the fall had on her back.

But Samus was not one to give up easily. She too jumped off of the platform. Sheik thought fast and unfurled her chain. She sent it high into the air and with it, knocked Samus aside and sent her flying in the opposite direction. Her body made contact with the hard wall and hit the floor.

Good. That would give her some time to gather her thoughts as she stood up. While fighting long-range had worked in the previous brawl, that tactic already wasn't working as well in this one. How would she do fighting Samus up close?

Well, it was worth a shot.

Sheik rocketed up to Samus just as she too began getting back up to her feet. She skidded to a halt to deliver a nice, sweeping kick to the jaw. Samus grunted and took a step back.

That's when she got an idea. Before she had become a Brawler, one of the Assist Trophies she had fought was Lynn. How had she beat Lyn?

By targeting her pressure points.

Sheik moved to press her fingers onto one of them when Samus suddenly flipped over her and jumped onto a platform. She jumped again, her body disappearing into what Sheik had thought was a solid ceiling.

Unwilling to give up, Sheik followed her, and in no time got up to the same level as her opponent. She spotted Samus at the other end of the area. She wasted no time in charging her. . .

There was a flash of electricity, and the next thing she knew she was being lifted high up into the air. Just as the electrical whip detached itself from her, she received a hard kick that pushed pain up her back and sent her flying into a pillar.

Sheik groaned. She blinked colorful spots from her eyes. She lifted a hand with the intent to rub her head, but instead found it pushing herself back up to her feet. "Is that all you got?"

Samus grinned. "I'm just getting warmed up."

"Oh really? You're making excuses."

Her whip temporarily lashed out. "Try me!"

She put her hands in front of her in a defensive position as Samus ran up to her. She jumped when Samus attempted a leg sweep.

While in midair, she flipped over Samus. However, Samus spun around as soon as she landed. Sheik didn't let this perturb her—she drove her fist in for an uppercut. Her fist was met with Samus's forearm. She next attempted to jab her arm, to which Samus easily blocked as well.

Jab, dodge. Jab, block. Jab, dodge. All of Sheik's offensive moves were skillfully avoided by Samus, thus turning their fighting into a dance. Both Sheik and Samus were lithe, speedy and agile, the tides turning to the other as soon as one gained the upper hand.

Then, finally, even though her kick was intercepted, Sheik felt a slam of satisfaction. Samus's face was noticeably pale—she was getting worried.

She almost laughed. Samus was having a difficult time with her. Perhaps this could be easier than she thought.

But when she saw Samus grinning, her confidence deflated as quickly as it had grown. Samus suddenly threw her to the side and ran past her.

It didn't take long for Sheik to regain her footing. Once she did, she tossed her head to the side to see Samus retrieving a pale cylinder—

Oh no. She recognized that cylinder.

An Assist Trophy.

Sheik made a move to get to it, but it was too late. Samus held it high above her head and opened it. The case subsequently burst into light. Samus gave her a knowing grin.

She crossed her fingers. _Please be someone I can deal with, please be someone I can deal with. . . _

Much to her horror, it was Lyn who landed in front of her.

Dang it, she had to get out of here, Lyn's hand was already on her sword, preparing to attack. . . she knew firsthand how powerful she was and she'd rather not have to face that power again. . .

Her eyes darted to the railing of the platform. Just as she began to make a break for it, Lyn ran up to her as fast as lightning. With a slash of her sword, Sheik was flung across. Both her head and back slammed into the hard pillar.

The only thing that filled her head was sheer pain. The electrifying feeling came from the red slash across her stomach, warm blood soaking her clothes, her immobile back and a very distinct throbbing in her head. The pain was so, so horrible that she couldn't even open her mouth to cry out.

_Get up, get up,_ she told herself. _You've got to get up and win this fight._

But she couldn't.

She cracked her eyes open. Fortunately, Lyn had vanished. Unfortunately, Samus was standing over her like an angel of death.

Sheik's jaw tightened, bracing herself for the worst. She had to face it. She was done for. All of her training to go against Samus—it was all for nothing.

Samus activated her whip and brought it up to her shoulder. The whip then descended on Sheik.

Everything went black.

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><p>"The winner is. . . Zero Suit Samus!"<p>

Many of the Brawlers clapped and cheered, calmly sitting in their seats. Link, on the other hand, sprang out of his seat before the announcer even finished the sentence. He slammed the door open and sprinted out of the private box and down the hall. Many bystanders cried out as he shoved his way past them. Link didn't look back. He just kept running.

After sprinting through many twists and turns, he arrived at the entrance that Sheik had gone through, just in time to see a few medics coming in with Sheik's body laying limp on a stretcher.

"Oh, Goddesses, Zelda," he whispered, unable to take his eyes off of her mangled sight.

The stretcher was placed on a table. Link took a step toward her only to be halted when all of the medics began rushing out of the room, yelling things at each other.

One of the doctors stopped and placed a hand on Link's shoulder. "We've got to get some equipment, and we need everyone to get it over here," she said. "Do you think you can watch over her while we go get it?"

He nodded.

She flashed him a grateful smile. "Thanks." She then hurried out along with all of the others, leaving him alone with Sheik.

He stood there for a few moments, standing sentinel throughout the silence. Then he heard a faint chiming behind him. He turned around to see Sheik's body bathed in a golden light.

Link remembered what she had said earlier about transforming whenever her body had gone through a lot of strain. He paled. "No no no!" He was by her side in seconds, racking his brain for some way to prevent her from appearing as Zelda again.

But it was too late. Before long, the light receded, bringing Zelda to light.

Link's jaw tensed, but found himself relaxing it as he studied her. Her blue eyes, the ones that shone every time she had trained with him back at Hyrule, were hidden under her eyelids. Her now-brown hair framed her ivory face, giving her the appearance of a gracious ruler. All those features, the ones he'd known since his childhood. . .

Being honest with himself, he was very happy to see them again.

He smiled and entwined his hand around her gloved one. "I'm glad you're here with me."

He hoped she'd be with him forever.

Then slowly, Link crossed the distance between his and Zelda's heads. He closed his eyes and planted his lips on Zelda's warm, soft forehead.

He wanted to remain in that position forever. But he couldn't. At last he detached himself from her and shook her shoulder. "Zelda?"

She remained still, and for a moment Link wondered if he had to shake her again when Zelda's eyelids fluttered open. "Hmm?"

"You transformed in your sleep. Revert back to Sheik real quick, and you can go back to sleep."

Her nod was almost imperceptible. She seemed so fragile, being in a state like this . . . Before the most recent Brawl, he had been slightly scared of Samus. But now, it was Samus who should be scared.

The light encompassing Zelda began to fade, revealing Sheik again. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"Stay by me?" she murmured.

Her question surprised him. "Of course I will. Just as I always have."

Just as he always would.

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><p>The man, standing upright in regal, dark clothing had his hands clasped behind his back. He stood at the top of a tower, observing the barren landscape with his cold, dark eyes. The wind howled through the land, mourning-after all, it didn't have a home.<p>

Finally, he had won. . .

_No,_ he corrected himself. Not just yet.

His thoughts were interrupted when a servant entered the room. The servant looked at him warily, his hands trembling as he gave the man a small piece of paper. The man took it before silently nodding and dismissing the servant. The servant walked out of the room as fast as he could and closed the heavy door behind him.

The man's eyes flicked downward to see the piece of paper. Or, rather, a flyer.

There were multiple people printed on the flyer, but only two stood out.

One was a blonde young man clad in green.

The other bore a feminine figure and was clad in blue and white.

The Hero and the Princess were all too recognizable.

Ganondorf grinned. He'd found them.

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><p><strong>AN: So that's pretty much the ultimate chapter. It's got a new Sage, a Brawl, the POV's of all of the Triforce Bearers, a fluffy ZeLink moment, and, of course, a cliffhanger. With a dash of a hope of getting the next chapter out fairly soon as it's summer.**

**You're welcome.**


	16. Chapter 15: The Tournament

**A/N: Hey there. So I finished an original novel that I worked on for a year and a half (let's just say it totaled to over 600 pages). Thing is, that was what I was doing for NaNoWriMo. What was I to write to complete NaNoWriMo when I finished that unexpectedly early?**

**Oh yeah. This. :D**

**Because of that, I'm already halfway done with Chapter 16. Heck, depending on the time you're reading this, I could be done with 16 and possibly 17. The second half of RB is about to kick in and I really like where it's going. **

**Now! Reviews! You guys, oh my gosh-you guys are so fantastic, 100 reviews was broken! 8D It's the first story of mine to do that, so seriously, huge thank-yous. And to commemorate that, I do have something planned for you guys once NaNoWriMo is over, so watch for that announcement. Honestly, I can't thank you guys enough. **

**Thanks to InkWoven, AnriMia24, 4everallways, Fora Beast, Emerald's Vengeance , Sheikagal and the three guests for leaving said reviews!**

**I've spent long enough with this author's note, so I hope you enjoy this chapter, and 16 will probably be up in a week or two.**

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><p><span>Chapter 15: The Tournament<span>

There was that white ceiling again. And there were also the white walls and the line of beds and Link watching over her—

Sheik did a double take. Wait. No. That wasn't Link. Standing over her was none other than Ike.

Ike smiled. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty. You're finally awake."

"Finally?" she said, her letters slurred. "How long have I been out?"

"A couple of days. There were brief moments when you regained consciousness, but you were mostly kept asleep as they patched you up."

"Patched me up? What hap—"

Then she remembered. Avoiding the bullets, chasing her opponent, Lyn sending her flying and Samus ultimately knocking her out. . .

So she failed.

Sheik closed her eyes and turned her head away from Ike. Her face twisted as though she'd just been stabbed. She should have known that her victory streak would have been put to an end sooner or later. . .

"Hey, don't feel bad," Ike said. "Samus isn't an easy Brawler to beat. Link suffered his first loss thanks to her, just like you did."

That made her stop short. She looked at him again. "Really? Is that why he was so nervous around her?"

Ike nodded. "Though it's worth noting that he doesn't seem like he is anymore. Not since she defeated you."

The bedsheets seemed a lot warmer all of a sudden, as did her cheeks. She twirled one of the edges of her pillow. Knowing this was somehow comforting—and exhilarating.

"Wait a minute," Ike said. "Are you blushing?" A sly gleam could be seen in his dark eyes.

Sheik cringed. "No, I most certainly am not. Link should know not to recklessly approach her. Anyways, Marth is—"

"—Now the Spirit Sage? Yeah, I know."

"So Link told you already. Have either of you discussed possible candidates for the other three Sages?"

"A little, but not too much."

"Why's that?"

"Well, first off, things have been a little crazy, trying to make sure you were okay and all that. And we just sort of felt that we should take about that once you woke up," said Ike, now shifting his feet. "You are pretty much in charge of all of this."

"I appreciate the concern," Sheik said. "I really do. But please, don't do that the next time I happen to be unconscious for the days. Link and I's Brawls aren't private. At any moment, Ganondorf could find out where we are. And when that time comes, I am positive that he will do everything in his power to destroy us—and anything that gets in the way."

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><p>Sheik remained in the infirmary during the following days. Link and Ike visited her frequently, and often the subject of future Sages would come up between the three of them. While ideas were given, no decisions were final.<p>

She began training again immediately upon being released from the infirmary. She made sure to take it slowly, but before long she had built up much of her former strength and was near making a complete recovery. One morning, Link came up to her before she'd even finished getting her breakfast.

"Did you see the latest announcement?" he asked.

Sheik shook her head; she had woken up a little later than usual and had been in quite a hurry. "Who's Brawling this time?"

"That's the thing—it's not a Brawl, it's a tournament."

She froze for a moment and looked at him. Her interest had been sparked. "A tournament?"

"Yes. They call it the All-Star Tournament. Only the best of the best Brawlers qualify, and they'll all face each other to determine the best Brawler of them all."

Sheik couldn't help it—her eyes shone and her stomach seemed to fly up to the top of her chest. This new tournament sounded dangerous, perhaps a little insane to take part in . . . and exciting.

Then she remembered a bit of what he had said—that only the best of the best Brawlers could even compete?

"What are the prequalifications?" she asked, suddenly hesitant.

Her reluctance didn't faze Link at all. If anything, his smile had only become bigger. "In order to do so, Brawlers must win approximately two out of three Brawls. Granted, that automatically disqualifies more than half of the Brawlers here. But. . ." he held his palm out, waiting for her to finish.

Sheik thought back to all of her previous Brawls. There was her one with Ike, her shared victory with Link, and her recent loss to Samus. Out of those three, she had won two.

That would mean. . .

A broad grin stretched across her face, her elation returning. "But I'm not one of them."

"Correct," Link said as they walked to the table and rested their plates on the long tables. "And it's the same with me. Are you in?"

"Are you kidding? Of course I am." She grinned. "Now where do we sign up?"

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><p>After a week of eager anticipation, the tournament bracket was posted. Sheik struggled to weave her way through the crowd, trying to squeeze by whenever she found even the smallest of gaps. Finally she had a clear view of the bracket.<p>

On it were the names of eight contestants, divided into four matches. On the right-hand side, Link was pitted against Fox while Snake and Meta Knight were slated to battle. On the other side Ike was up against Samus. While the first two had been easy to predict, Ike and Samus were pretty evenly matched.

Then there was her. She was listed just below Ike and Samus, and her first opponent was—

Sheik blinked. Had she read that right?

She looked at it over again. The name remained true to her memory.

Peach.

Out of all the Brawlers, how had _Peach_ made it into the bracket? That made no sense.

Then Sheik realized that she never had seen her in a fight.

She registered that Peach had come to take a look at the bracket as well. A smile grew on her face. "Looks like it's you and me, Sheik!"

She gave her a wave befitting a princess. She seemed so innocent, yet there she was, on the bracket. . .

Sheik smiled as best as she could. "Yes. I do believe this will prove to be interesting."

And interesting it was. She found herself sneaking looks at Peach during training to observe her fighting style.

Soon Sheik could see why she had made it into the tournament. Peach was an excellent close-range fighter, and her strikes—especially the frying pan, oh goodness that frying pan—were quick and powerful. Her energy and spirit seemed to be nearly bottomless and she had heard something about Peach's Final Smash being able to heal her somewhat.

But Peach did have weaknesses. Sheik knew that should she be able to exploit those weaknesses, she would be able to win.

Peach lagged drastically whenever she was in midair. _Give her everything you've got while she's up in the air._

Most of Peach's long range attacks just weren't good, period. _Keep a good distance from her. Bring extra needles to the fight. _

And though it didn't necessarily show in her fighting, Peach was reluctant to land final blows. She could see it in her eyes. _If she hesitates even for a second, do something with that second._

Sheik altered her training sessions accordingly. Instead of focusing on punches and kicks like she usually did, she worked tirelessly on her aim. She threw needle after needle at a target that she placed fifty feet away and worked until she could barely lift her arm due to how sore it was.

She did the same thing the next day, this time with moving targets from sixty feet away. There were more misses, but slowly that number dwindled. The day after she did the same exercise, except she used only her left hand.

She repeated sessions like this every day, until one day she didn't train at all. Her body was sore all over and she knew all of it would be for nothing if she wasn't refreshed enough to fight. So she spent the day strategizing and getting good rest.

After that she spent some sessions reviewing close-range and fine-tuning her long-range attacks. Before she knew it, it was tournament day, and after watching Ike's defeat at the hands of Samus Aran, Sheik found herself at the mercy of the cheering crowd upon her introduction.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, she may be sugar and spice but she is not afraid to send you flying into next week . . . please welcome, the benevolent ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Peach!"

Sheik figured that 'benevolent' and 'Mushroom Kingdom' weren't good words to use when introducing a fighter, but the fans still cheered like there was no tomorrow.

It caught her by surprise.

She wasn't going to lie—in all of her imaginings of how the Brawl between her and Peach would go, she never imagined that her opponent would emerge less than cheery.

Peach's face was ever-so-slightly downcast, though her shoulders were set back, giving off a false air of confidence. She waved just as a princess would and smiled, but when she reached her starting place, she could see that her eyes had a very, very red brim around them.

She had been crying. But why?

"Peach?" Sheik asked somewhat cautiously. She outstretched her arm so Peach could shake it. The blonde took her up, but dropped her glove hand after one shake.

"Peach, are you—"

"The setting shall be. . . The Summit!"

The crowd around her turned into white, and then the white evolved into a beautiful icy setting. Sheik found that she stood on the platform attached to the peak of a large glacier, and the starry sky featured a bright, majestic curtain of soft greens and tender purples.

The Northern Lights. Under normal circumstances, she would have marveled at how utterly breathtaking it was.

But this was not quite a normal circumstance.

Sheik turned her head and set her eyes on Peach.

"BRAWL!"

The other thing that she had not been prepared for was how fast Peach could be. The Princess sped off of her designated platform like a bullet and hurled herself into the air.

Peach was in midair. Now was her chance.

Sheik whipped out her needles and flung three needles at her. Her training paid off; all three needles buried themselves into Peach. She gave a cry of pain, but that didn't stop her from landing on the same platform Sheik was on.

Oh no—she was within Peach's range. Sheik immediately spun around and began to run away, but once again Peach was too fast. She landed slap after slap on her, and pretty soon the Hylian's cheeks burned.

She had no time to react as Peach jerked her leg into her stomach, sending her flying high into the air. Peach jumped and within a matter of seconds the frying pan made contact with her. Sheik crashed into the mound of ice.

Her eyes were very wide. Peach hadn't been half as ruthless as she had during practice, and now that the fight had begun she couldn't see a hint of a smile on her face. Whatever had happened to her was serious.

She placed a hand on the ice to hoist herself up just as the glacier began shaking. The sound of a forceful crack assaulted her ears.

She felt the entire top of the mountain break apart from its body and had to use all of her strength to keep herself from tumbling straight down as the top slid down the mountain.

Sheik forced her eyes shut. This was just a simulation, this was just a simulation.

But it felt real enough to get herself killed or terribly injured if she made one wrong move.

The summit crashed straight into the ocean, awakening an explosive splash that nearly deafened her. Water came down upon the ice like a tidal wave, and she turned her head away as the entire left side of her clothing became drenched.

At last Sheik rose up to her feet. The first thing she saw as Peach, who was on her hands and knees. She coughed and sputtered and pink dress sagged down her shoulders. Her crown had fallen from her head, and her wet hair took on a darker shade of blonde.

For a moment, she was at a loss of what to do. Then, before she could stop herself, she found herself approaching Peach.

"Peach, what's wrong?" she said. "You seemed really—"

Peach lunged for the crown and attempted to drive its points into her arm. Sheik pulled her arm out of the way and brought it over Peach. She grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. This brought forth a grunt from the princess.

Then it sank into her.

She was still for a long moment. Then she dropped Peach's arm and stepped away. Sheik held her hands into the air.

This would not help Peach. She was obviously going through a rough period, and maybe, if she gave up her spot in the tournament for Peach. . .

Her move could potentially cost her a lot. But if she could brighten her life a little, then maybe it would be worth it.

Peach stood up properly and stared at her with a mixture of amazement and disbelief.

Sheik took a deep breath. "I sur—"

Then she caught Peach's rosy lips moving almost imperceptibly. _Punch me,_ she mouthed.

Sheik did a double take. She repeated herself. _Punch me_.

So she did. She lowered her hands and drove a fist into her stomach. Peach released a hysterical shriek of pain and crumpled to the ground.

Sheik knitted her eyebrows. The cry had seemed almost exaggerated . . .

She heard the announcer's voice when Peach remained unmoving. "The winner is. . . Sheik!"

The cheers could barely even be registered. She kept her eyes on Peach and crouched down next to her side. Had she really . . . knocked her out?

Her eyelids split open to reveal alert blue irises. Apparently not.

Sheik realized what she was doing. Brawls only ended when one of the Brawlers had either surrendered, been knocked out or became too injured to carry on.

Peach was feigning defeat so she could move on to the next round.

But why?

"Can I talk to you in a minute?" Peach mumbled, barely loud enough for Sheik to hear.

She nodded. "Of course," she said, and then the summit was replaced by the arena once more.


	17. Chapter 16: Deep Feelings

**A/N: ...For once I don't think this Author's Note will be too long. :P There's not much I want to say this time, aside from the fact that yes, this is more of a filler chapter, but the plot is going to thicken a lot after this. Hopefully I'll post 17 real soon (seeing as I've already gotten it written), but I do need time to edit it.**

**Thanks for the reviews, guys! Now to respond to them:**

**Cimar of Turalis: Thanks! Good to see you again. :)**

**Darkblaze40: Haha, it's okay. :P Thank you!**

**InkWoven: Thanks for that, it really is kinda hard. :D And there are more chapters coming up! Tons of them! Promise. :D**

**CreCra: No, it's generally a secret. The ones who know are herself, Link and the other Sages. **

**AnriMia24: Oh, don't worry, there will. Just wait. :)**

**WindTalker17: Yup! :D Peach is awesome.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><span>Chapter 16: Deep Feelings<span>

Sheik met up again with Peach soon afterward. She broke free of the swarm of people congratulating her, followed Peach's stretcher to the Infirmary and watched them place her into a bed. They arranged an assortment of recovery foods on the nightstand next to her and promptly left.

She did an assessment of the Infirmary.

The only other person in the room save Peach was Ike, who was unconscious.

She allowed herself to smooth a hand through Ike's hair. "Get better soon," she whispered.

Then she got back down to business. "No one's watching."

There was a brief lull, and then Peach sat up.

Sheik walked over to her and took a seat on the bed. "So?"

Peach took a deep breath and mumbled something that she couldn't hear.

"Hmm?"

"I said it's Mario."

Sheik raised her eyebrows. Out of all of the things that could make Peach cry, Mario had not been around the top of the list. "Mario? What happened?"

"Everything was going well with us for a while," she began. "But then the All-Star Tournament came around and I made it and he . . . well, didn't. He started acting weird ever since. I continued to act like my outgoing self and pretended not to notice. I tried to forget about it, but this morning . . . he essentially broke.

"Mario was extremely frustrated that he didn't make it into the Tournament. He is, after all, one of the most popular Brawlers and even one of the Founders of the Super Smash Brothers. But I, a princess who had gotten kidnapped a fair amount, did, and that . . . he took it out on me. Some very harsh words were exchanged. He even claimed that I didn't deserve my place on the bracket."

Sheik was horrified. "He said that to you?" she said. She didn't want to believe it.

"Now, this really isn't like him," Peach assured. "Everyone has stressful periods. This is one of his. But it still really hurt, and I became more determined than ever to win the Tournament."

"But you ended up resigning," Sheik said softly. "Why's that?"

"Because you deserve the spot. You were completely willing to drop out of the Tournament just to make me happy while I only focused on winning the round. And I suppose. . ." Peach shrugged. "I suppose I figured someone like that should be the one to advance."

"Well, thanks. That was extremely considerate of you."

She analyzed Peach like she would a newly dissected animal. "For someone who came off as ditzy and talkative, you're very mature. Observant. I don't see the logic in keeping it hidden."

"It's for Mario." Her cheeks became red. "I don't know too much about boys and relationships and the sort, but I do know that he loves being in the spotlight. So I figured that if I acted a little more insipid—"

She could already see where she was getting at. She groaned. "Peach, never do that. If you can't be yourself around him, then he's not worth your time no matter how many times he's rescued you. The only gentlemen you should trust are the ones who not only accept you for who you are, but love you for it. And the same goes vice versa; you are only worthy of their attention if you embrace who they are as well."

Peach seemed to slowly drink in her words. She nodded in respect.

Sheik had to keep herself from heaving a sigh of relief. She was really glad that had worked. As a Princess, she'd never been in a relationship before, so she'd just tried to give her own thoughts on the matter.

"Thank you for your counsel," she said. "You truly are a great Wisdom Bearer, Princess Zelda."

Sheik froze.

There was no point in denying it. "How obvious is it?"

"Not much," she admitted. "To be honest, the only reason I know is because I saw your true form on that first night. You know, when you had that nightmare."

So she hadn't been able to convince Peach. She really should have been aware of that possibility.

The announcer's voice boomed from afar. She strained to hear it and ultimately could not hear the name of the victor. A round of applause ensued.

"Link's match is over."

Then she registered what she said. _Link's_ match was over. By the Goddesses, she missed it. A knot formed in her stomach.

Who had won, Link or Fox? And if Link had lost, just how bad in a condition was he in?

"As I said, it's over." She stood up and crossed to the dresser. "That means more medics are coming in soon. Feign unconsciousness." Her hand hovered over the food assortment and, after a moment of deliberation, selected a glass of milk. She knew it was his favorite.

"Since you don't need it, do you mind if I take this?"

"No, why?"

Sheik took off before Peach had even finished. "Thank you!"

She left the Infirmary, ran down the hall and exited the Smash Mansion. She sped to the backdoors of the Arena, located right across the front doors of the Mansion. She yanked open one of the double doors right as a medic was walking out.

"Excuse me," said the medic before he went around her. She looked to her left—someone with a few slash wounds scattered across his body, laid out on a stretcher.

Fox.

He was conscious, but barely. Sheik considered giving him some of the milk, but then she saw that Krystal was right beside him, commanding him to get better. She didn't even notice her. Fox would definitely be all right, so long as Krystal was there.

She continued running once she was properly past them. If Link was indeed the victor—which was turning out to be incredibly likely—then he'd most likely be back in his warm-up room.

So that's where she headed. She went down a flight of stairs and reached the room within a minute.

Link was leaning against the wall, coated in sweat and looking just as out of breath as she felt. He was busy trying to wrap up a gash on his forearm.

"Allow me." She set the milk aside on a chair and rushed to his side.

"Zelda, it's fine—"

Sheik took the wrap from him and immediately began to undo some of the progress he made. She re-wrapped it, making the bandage look much neater.

"Sorry I wasn't here to see you fight," she said. "How did it go?"

"Well, I won," Link said. "That's definitely something. The guy has a _very_ good aim, and he was at least as fast as you."

"Wow." She tore the end off when she was done. "How'd you beat him?"

"I let him chase me a bit up onto a higher platform. I was able to slash him a couple of times and then pushed him down to the ground below. He's lightweight and falls pretty fast, so that was all it took to knock him out."

He looked up to her. "What about you? From the looks of it you beat Peach, but that punch looked a little . . . off."

"Yeah, Peach actually threw the match for me. She pretended to go down easily."

"What? Why would she do that?"

"It's a long story."

She crossed over to the chair and handed him his milk. "So we're both in the semifinals," she said, grinning.

Link returned it. "That's right." He dipped his head in thanks and took a swig of his milk. "We made it."

He paused and took a look at his milk. Something dawned across his face.

"You know, there's this place on the outskirts of town," he said. "They serve excellent milk and other things there. Do you want to go there?"

"Sure, although we'll have to schedule it two or three days from today so Ike can—"

"Oh no, I mean the two of us. Tonight." He added hastily, "To celebrate."

The two of them.

Oh.

"After all," he continued, "with the Tournament and the whole Sage thing going on, I figured that we could both use a break. What do you say?"

Sheik's chest inflated. She smiled and tried not to show just how excited she was as she replied, "I say sure."

The dining place really was on the outskirts of Smash City, with the forest Sheik had traveled through being just behind it. The building was small and only contained one story, but Sheik felt relaxing warmth trickle into her skin the moment she stepped foot inside.

Link had been right—their food was excellent, especially the apple pie she ordered after having her main course. She didn't know just how good the milk was, but if Link's wide smile and constant refills were any indication. . .

"You seem to be enjoying yourself," she noted.

"If I've got milk, then I always am," Link grinned. "How about you?"

"Most definitely." She took another bite out of her pie and then said, "Now, I think I know who I want to ordain as the Sage of—"

"No, Sheik. No Sage stuff right now. We're here to relax, not plan or debate or stress or other stuff."

If it had been any other person telling her to do this, she would have protested endlessly. But this was Link. She found that it was much easier to unwind when she was around him.

"All right," she said. "You win. I won't bring it up again."

"Oh really?" He arched an eyebrow. "Do you promise?"

"I promise."

"Good."

"But we're going into this again as soon as we reach the Smash Mansion again. No questions asked."  
>"Fair enough." Link raised his glass of milk in the air. "To our victories."<p>

She lifted her drink as well. "To our victories." She touched the edge of her glass to his and shortly brought it to her lips.

She could barely even taste the drink. She found herself only able to concentrate on her pounding heart. She had participated in several toasts in the past, but this was one of the only ones that meant something to her.

The two of them finished up, exchanging witticisms and brief stories until the waitress arrived with the paycheck. Link handed her the amount due before they both stood up and exited the diner.

But Sheik found that she wasn't quite ready to finish their night together. Not yet.

"Link." She pointed to the forest.

He appeared to consider it. "Why not?"

Sheik led the way into the forest, breathing in the tranquil air. Once she had walked a few feet into the forest, she had an idea. If she really wanted to relax, really let her hair down. . .

She closed her eyes and, with a summon of magic, willed herself to transform into Zelda.

She turned back to face Link and smiled. He looked pleasantly surprised. "So you really are taking my advice."

"I suppose I am."

She continued into the forest and observed the oak trees with a steady eye. "I love going on a stroll every now and then," she said with a demeanor that she hoped sounded nonchalant. "They help to clear my mind."

Except for this time. Link was around, so her mind was going a little more haywire.

"I just chase chickens whenever I feel like clearing my mind." Link shrugged. "Usually with a sword."

Zelda spun the heels of her feet and broke out laughing. Whether it was from humor or terror, she couldn't tell. "You _chase chickens_ in order to clear your head?"

His grin reached his eyes. "Nah. I just wanted to see your reaction."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Good gracious. I was becoming rather concerned for you for a moment."

"Come on, Zelda, have a little faith in me."

She laughed—and then heard something. She leaned forward, straining out to hear what it was.

The sound of rushing water.

"There's some sort of river nearby," she realized. "Let's find it."

Zelda followed the sound, weaving around trees and jumping over logs to get there. Occasionally she'd break out into a short sprint. She loved this feeling, a blend of curiosity and adventure, sprinkled by caution and fueled by excitement.

She knew she was near when the sound of the gurgling river became strong. She looked over to her right, and sure enough she saw a grassy slope leading to the bank of a river. The line of water slid over the smooth stones lodged at the bottom. Moonlight tickled the river's surface, and the wind brushed the trees with its soft fingers.

Zelda let out a small sigh of contentment and sat herself on the grass. She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them just as Link sat down beside her. He leaned back, using his arms as pillars of support behind him.

She let her shoulders sink. In a peaceful place such as this and with Link at her side, she felt more relaxed than she had been in a very long time.

And then she remembered something.

"You know, this reminds me of the time we first met," Zelda said. "We were just children, and you and I sat together just like this on a bright day."

Link nodded. "That's true. Before we really got wrapped up in the whole Triforce business. Well, I guess we were—you did have that prophetic dream and stuff."

"Yes, and you were the only one who believed me."

She looked at him in the eye. "Thank you," she said. "For believing me on that day, for taking me out tonight, and for all of your devotion to Hyrule. I cannot thank you enough."

"Uh, yeah, you're welcome." He scratched his neck and averted his eyes away. "That's what Heroes do."

"No, not Heroes. Friends. That's what friends do."

But even as she said that something didn't feel quite right. Friends should be the perfect word to describe them, but the word didn't fit into her mouth that well.

Link's gaze seemed to sink even lower. "Friends. . . yeah, that's what they do. But people who are more than friends do that too."

"More than friends?" Her heartbeat quickened.

"Well, lovers are often seen doing all kinds of things to be together, that sort of thing—"

"Link, is there something that you are trying to imply?"

"No, Zelda, I don't hold any sort of romantic inclinations toward you."

"I never said that you did."

Link was silent. Zelda tried to restrain her grin; her efforts failed. She didn't bother reinforcing those efforts.

"Since when?"

"Huh?"

"How long have you liked me?"

He smirked. "When did you?"

"What—" she folded her arms in front of her chest and turned away from him. She prayed that her cheeks weren't as bright as she felt. "That's preposterous. When did you gain that idea?"

"When I saw your huge grin upon your revelation. Most girls become disgusted when they find out a guy likes them. You didn't."

Zelda's nails bit into her arms. She racked her brain desperately, trying to find some sort of excuse. For heaven's sake, she was the Wisdom Bearer, why didn't she have any knowledge on how to react to this sort of thing?

She decided on weighing her options. Any good Wisdom Bearer would do that. Unfortunately, it was much too late to give a believable reason as to why exactly she was grinning, so her only reasonable course of action was to simply respond to his question.

She took a deep breath and looked at him again. "To be honest, I didn't. Not at first. When I first met you, you were the Hero of Time to me, someone who had come to bring peace back to Hyrule. But then I traveled with you as Sheik and I got to know you a little more, in a way, and it was then that I began truly seeing you as Link and not the Hero of Time. You were a very valuable ally and friend. I continued to see you as a friend through the years. I trusted you enough to express my desire to learn how to fight and then you volunteered to teach me. You kept up on your promise, and during our one-on-one time together. . ."

"That's when it sprang up?" he said.

Zelda nodded. "Yes. When you left to be one of the Founders, I was hoping it'd be good for me. I was hoping that over time, not seeing you would lessen my attraction toward you. But I kept thinking about you and because of that, instead of my feelings going away, they just grew stronger."

She wasn't going to lie—now that that was out, she did feel better, like she'd released a bird who'd been vying for freedom.

"Okay, Link. Your turn."

"Ugh, is this really necessary?"

"Link."

"Fine, fine."

He sighed. "I don't know when it began. This was just something that built up over time, until one day I woke up and just found that I was quite attracted to you. And quite frankly, who wouldn't be? You're generous, wise, and a great fighter. In short, Zelda, you're amazing."

She stared at him. She felt like she was sitting in front of a cozy fireplace, its light and warmth boundless.

Something stung behind her eyes, and she wanted to say something back, anything, that could possibly match up to that, but she couldn't find the proper words, so she settled for stating a simple yet unbreakable truth.

"So are you."

Zelda reached for his left hand. He moved his arm slightly, and soon the hands bearing the Marks of Courage and Wisdom had joined together. The union was nothing short of perfection, and perfection was something that deserved to endure throughout all time and eternity.

She lifted her head up to meet his eyes. Those blue irises were exposed, now forever rid of its covering. The irises did not seem uncomfortable with that exposure. His eyes, in turn, searched hers. She was positive that, just like his, they were exposed.

Just like him, she was okay with that.

Almost as though they were magnets, Link and Zelda's heads gravitated toward each other. A foot apart. Six inches.

She didn't bother keeping track when she could feel his breath caress her face. She closed her eyes and parted her lips . . .

Then Link grabbed her shoulders and threw her to the ground.

She helped herself up to a sitting position and glared at Link. "Why did you just-"

"Look."

She followed his finger to the tree she had been sitting next to. Lodged into the trunk was a wickedly sharp dagger.


	18. Chapter 17: Revelations

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, stuff got busy. Then again, stuff's always busy. :P This came out of NaNoWriMo, and for even NaNoWriMo it was horrible, so this had to be edited a bit more harshly than other chapters. Now it's decent. Thankfully, Chapter 18 should come much more quickly.**

**Reviews! Wow, 120. Shout-outs to InkWoven, CreCra, myster8icarus, AnriMia24, Sheikagal, DaEpicNinja, tswift1fan, SkYeLiMiT and Pandora 151. Thank you also to everyone who's followed it, favorited it, if you're plain reading this right now. :)**

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><p><span>Chapter 17: Revelations<span>

Zelda leaped up to her feet and pulled the knife out of the tree trunk. She held it out in front of her while Link stood up and drew the Master Sword. She cursed herself a thousand times over for letting her guard down.

"Show yourself!" she commanded.

Silence. Her eyes scanned the area, assessing every small detail. She knew someone was there. Someone who had attempted to kill her.

A twig snapped behind her. She whirled around.

No one was there.

Zelda narrowed her eyes. She took a step forward, then another. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She gripped the knife tightly before she loosened her grip.

Then she felt something cool and sharp lodged at her throat.

She slammed her elbow into her opponent's midsection. She grabbed her opponent's arm, removing the knife at her neck, and maneuvered it behind—

Her. Her attacker was female. She wore tight clothing that exposed her tan midriff and baggy linen pants. A veil was tied around the lower half of her face, and her red hair was tied in a high ponytail.

Zelda felt her breath leave her. She was Gerudo.

The Gerudo broke out of her grip, pulled out another knife out of her satchel and attacked her with her dual weapons. Zelda brought her own knife up and blocked both points with the flat of her blade.

She broke the lock and guided herself behind the Gerudo. She grabbed her ponytail and yanked it downward.

The Gerudo cried out, and Zelda followed up by kicking the backs of her knees. Her legs gave way and she slammed her on the ground.

She got down to her knees and placed a hand on the Gerudo's shoulder. "Who are—"

The Gerudo lashed out with her free arm only to be intercepted by Link's hand. He heaved the Gerudo to her feet and slammed her against one of the trees.

He lifted his sword to her neck. The Gerudo struggled, but Link held her firm.

"Who are you?" he said.

The Gerudo lifted her eyebrows. "You two got me. I can count the number of people who've done that on one hand."

Link slammed her into the tree again. "I _said_, who are you?"

She dropped her amused demeanor. "Does it really matter?"

His eyes narrowed to slits as thin as a wickedly sharp blade. "You just attacked me and my companion, so yes, it matters a lot."

The Gerudo's lips thinned. "I'm an assassin," she said. "I was contracted to bring both of you down."

That didn't surprise Zelda in the least, but her heart quickened regardless.

"Zelda, look through her satchel," Link said without taking his eyes off of the Gerudo assassin. "See if you can find anything interesting."

She walked up to her and sawed through the satchel strap. She pulled it off of her and began sorting through it.

"Now that that's settled," he said, "tell us who you're working for."

"No."

"It's Ganondorf, isn't it?"

Zelda looked up.

"Why would you say that?" the assassin said.

"Do you really think I'm that stupid?" Link said. "He's the King of the Gerudo tribe and the only one I can think of who'd want us dead."

The Gerudo's expression became as stiff as stone. That confirmed it.

She looked down. Her breaths became shallow. She again wasn't surprised at this information, but dread seeped into her stomach and weighed it down like lead. Her hands shook.

Ganondorf had found them, and he was taking action. They didn't have much time left to figure out the remaining three Sages.

"Does he know we're here?"

The Gerudo smirked. "Of course he does. That's why it was so easy to find you."

Zelda took a deep breath and told herself to focus on searching the satchel.

She continued to rummage through it. Most of the items were various ranged weapons, including sheathed knives and daggers, throwing stars and even a few chakrams. Her interest was piqued when she found an old, leather-bound book filled with thick, yellowed parchment pages.

"Where's Ganondorf right now?" Link asked.

"How am I supposed to know?"

His arm tensed, and she subsequently saw a drop of blood roll down the Gerudo's neck. "I really don't suggest taking your chances, because you don't have many."

"Well, if you want to know that bad. . . Hyrule Castle."

Anger spurted out of the pit of her stomach. It only grew hotter when she saw the Gerudo's smug smile. "It's a touch ironic, isn't it? But I suppose that's the point."

Link turned his sword around and slammed the handle into her head. She crumpled to the ground and remained motionless.

He forced out a deep exhale. "Sorry. She was starting to annoy me."

Zelda nodded. She'd shaken her, too.

She leafed through the pages. The Hylian letters were faded, some to the point of ineligibility. But from what she could read, she deduced that this was a book of spells. She wondered what business the Gerudo could have with a book of spells. She deduced that either Ganondorf had entrusted her with it or she'd been able to steal it from him.

She skimmed the book page by page until she came to one that caught her attention. She drank in the writing, and gradually her eyes became bigger and bigger. She gasped.

"Link," she said slowly, "I think you need to come read this."

He came to her side and knelt down. "What is it?"

"They're instructions. Instructions on how to break a seal."

Link rested his chin on a fist. Understanding descended upon him. His eyes became just as exposed as hers had been. "No way."

"Oh yes."

Zelda rested her finger under a line in the first paragraph. "It says here that in order to break a seal, one must break the caster's—or casters'—hold on it."

"So in other words, kill them." He grabbed a fistful of grass. His knuckles were white.

She put a hand on his shoulder. "No, Link. Killing them, the casters—it doesn't do them any good. It only ensures that the seal will never be broken."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that in order to break a seal, one needs to weaken the caster's hold. To drain them of energy, or of power, anything among those lines."

"So does this mean that the Sages are still alive?"

"Yes!" She thought of Impa and Rauru and Saria and all of the others. She thought of the burning heartache and the tears she had shed when learning of their death. She had thought that she would never see any of them again.

Now that wasn't true. They were alive, all of them.

But that didn't mean they were okay.

"As I said, Ganondorf needed to weaken the seal, but how was he to do that? He was trapped, and he couldn't exactly do anything in his current state—or so we thought."

"So you thought?"

"Yes." Zelda was easily able to figure out more information, like missing puzzle pieces falling into place once a large body of the result was constructed. "But there was a way for him to do something. He had to have had some sort of outside ally, or object or an extension of power to help him—"

Power.

That was it.

"Link, there's a strange red aura that I encountered several times," she said. "The first time was when I met two siblings while on my way here. And I also saw it during my Brawl with Ike. . . And our dream pertaining to Ganondorf. Obviously it was connected to him, but I never did figure out how. Until now."

She took a deep breath. "I have a theory. What if when the Sages and I sealed Ganondorf. . . What if we didn't completely seal him? What if bits and pieces—or bits and pieces of his power—somehow managed to escape?"

"Are you saying that this red aura is something he can control?"

"Not only that, but. . . Link, it's the Triforce of Power. Inklings of the Triforce of Power wasn't sealed, and he's connected to that particular Triforce, so he was able to control it outside of the seal."

"But Zelda—" he looked between her and the book, like he was trying to decipher something. "What does this have to do with the Sages?"

"It has just about everything to do with the Sages," she said. "During my encounters with the Triforce of Power, it infected Matic and Ike. So if it can infect them, then it stands to reason that it can also infect the Sages, but in a different way. When she came to us, Navi was fully convinced that the Sages were dead, so obviously they looked that way. And despite them being alive, I am still ordaining Brawlers with the Sages' powers. This infers that the Hylian Sages are in no condition to perform their duty, so their power is being temporarily transferred. So when you put it all together. . ."

Zelda grabbed the edge of a page in the book and gripped it tightly between two fingers. "The Triforce of Power did infect them, just like with Ike and Matic, but unlike Matic and Ike, who got more violent, this is rendering the Sages as completely comatose. Maybe not even that. Ganondorf's the one controlling the Triforce, so if I have to come down to a hard conclusion, I'd have to say that the Triforce of Power is currently trapping them in their own state of nightmares, making them suffer endlessly. They're probably going through so much pain that. . . That maybe that's why the Sages lost their hold on the seal."

"By the Goddesses," muttered Link. "That's horrible."

She agreed. This new information made her really want to send Ganondorf flying into next week.

"But, you know," he said. "If his objective was to weaken the Sages' hold on the seal, then why isn't that happening to you right now? You did sort of lead the Sages when you sealed Ganondorf."

"From what I've guessed," she said, "it's because I hold the Triforce of Wisdom. When I found that Matic and Ike were infected, I also discovered that I could essentially take the red aura out of them. So if it were to enter me or you, it would just come right back out. Besides, Ganondorf just needed to weaken the seal until he could break out of it, not completely destroy it. Cursing the rest of the Sages proved to still be effective."

Zelda closed the book with an air of finality. She panted like she'd just ran a marathon.

"Well," Link said after a second of silence. "That was quite the information overload."

She smiled, and a short chuckle rose. "It very much is. But now we know much more about the situation. And the more we know, the better our chances stand."

"Speaking of that, how did you not know this beforehand?" Link asked. "You do have the Triforce of Wis—"

"Breaking a sacred seal is dark magic, Link," Zelda said tightly. "And I don't dabble in dark magic. There are simply things that even a Wisdom Bearer should not know."

"Did the book say anything on how to restore the seal?"

She shook her head. "So far, I'd say we stick to our original plan. There are three different Sage powers resting within me and I must let them out. Once all the Sages are assembled, we'll quickly seal Ganondorf, and then we'll cure the Seven Sages."

"But are you sure we can use Brawlers as Sages anymore?" Link said. "Ganondorf knows we're here now, we can't stay—"

"No, we do have to stay," she said.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized it was true. "We have come too far in ordaining Sages here to simply abandon our work. If we go, we'll be separated from Ike, Pit and Marth. They'll become targets of Ganondorf and in the long run, fleeing will only do more harm than good."

"But if we don't—I mean, Ganondorf—" he sighed. "Fine, you win. But if we're not going, then that means we're going to have to work much faster. Who knows when Ganondorf will strike again?"

"Agreed," she said. "And remember, I did say that I had an idea for a new Sage."

"Really? Which one?"

Zelda smiled. "The Sage of Shadow."


	19. Chapter 18: Shadow

**A/N: Guess what, guys?**

**This story will be finished by May.**

**All the chapters may not be up here by May, because I'm currently writing Chapter 22, so I'm ahead and want some build-up between each chapter. But this story should be labeled as COMPLETE by June, _maybe_ July at the very latest.**

**Guys, I'm really excited. We're finally at the good part, and soon things are gonna be really building up and there'll be the climax during which there will be epicness. **

**Thank you tswift1fan, CreCra and AnriMia24 for reviewing!**

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><p><span>Chapter 18: Shadow<span>

Link and Sheik returned to the Smash Mansion with the spell book in hand. They had left the Gerudo there—there was nothing they could do to detain her and they were prepared to act should she try something again.

But they did make sure to take security measures against not only her, but Ganondorf himself. When they returned the Smash Mansion, Sheik recalled a barrier spell she had seen in the castle library once. The barrier would be invisible and designed to only keep out one person in mind.

She closed her eyes and raised her arms to the night sky. She beckoned her magic, and rising with her arms was a shimmering, clear dome that enclosed around the Smash Arena and Mansion. After a minute, the two sides drew closer to each other at the top, like a mouth closing around food. Then they touched, and Sheik felt a final, resounding wave of magic course through her body. Out of breath, she fell to her knees.

She forced back the fuzziness in her brain and took a look at her handiwork. Sure enough, the barrier was completely invisible. Her surroundings looked entirely the same, as if nothing had ever happened.

_Good,_ she thought. _That should be able to hold him off for a while._

Sheik stood back up to her feet. "It's done."

"Are you sure that won't keep others out as well?" asked Link apprehensively.

"Positive. Others can come in as they please, but Ganondorf will not, just as long as I don't step outside. The moment I do is the moment that the barrier will dematerialize."

She began heading toward the Mansion. Now that all the excitement was over, her eyelids begun to sag. "Now come on. Let's get some slee—"

Link's hand snatched her wrist. "Wait."

She did. She looked over her shoulder to see his tight face, as if he was about to say something painful.

"About our conversation, in the forest."

Her breath caught in her throat. "Yes?"

"As much as it's good to know that the feelings are mutual and as much as we both want to act on it, we shouldn't. Just not until all of this is over. We can't let it distract us."

Sheik wanted to protest. She wanted to say that it wouldn't distract them from what was important, but the truth was that there was a chance that it could. She knew because she had been thinking the same thing on the way back.

Her nod was almost imperceptible.

Then she tugged her arm out of Link's grasp and headed on back to the Smash Mansion. Her chest somehow managed to feel empty and heavy at the same time.

Sheik's plan to ordain the Sage of Shadow could not be carried out straightaway. She knew that a Sage of Shadow had to be powerful and resilient, just like Impa. At the same time a Sage would have to be someone willing to take on the risk of becoming a target, keep her secret and shoulder responsibility.  
>Although she didn't know him way too well, she could still see those qualities in none other than Meta Knight.<br>The problem was, Meta Knight had been one of the eight chosen to compete in the All-Star Tournament. He was an incredibly good Brawler and had put up a very good fight, but ultimately Snake emerged as the champion when he had obtained the Smash Ball. Thus Meta Knight had been forced to begin undergoing a recovery in the Infirmary alongside Ike and Fox.  
>As much as Meta Knight needed to recover, Sheik also knew that her nor Link could afford to waste any time. She bided her time for two days, and then found herself going into the Infirmary.<br>She saw his bed at the end of the room. As she came closer she could plainly see that his eyes were closed.  
>Sheik hesitated. He didn't look like he'd be able to shoulder gaining the power of the Sages. Perhaps she would have to come back another time—<br>"State your business."  
>She nearly jumped out of her skin at Meta Knight's deep voice.<br>Then came the relief. She cleared her mind and sat down on the bed next to him.  
>"Hello, Meta Knight." She attempted a smile. "Are you feeling well?"<br>"What is it that you have come to ask of me?" Meta Knight opened his eyes, revealing fiery balls of golden light. "We rarely made contact beforehand."  
>"I know." She licked her lips. He was right—they'd never really had much of a conversation before this moment. How was she supposed to ask him to become a Sage?<br>But for the sake of Hyrule, she had to.  
>"I've come to ask for a favor," she said. "A very important one. Meta Knight, what do you know of the current state of Hyrule?"<br>"Very little. I do not 'keep up', as you other Brawlers put it, with the news. Why?"  
>"Because. . ." Here it came. "Because I need your help to save it."<br>Meta Knight processed the information. "Do tell."  
>Sheik took a deep breath. "Currently Hyrule is under the control of Ganondorf, a wicked man. The only way to defeat him is to seal him, which only the Seven Sages can do. I am one of them, and I have appointed three others. Now the time has come to choose a new one, and I believe that out of all of the Brawlers, you are the best candidate for the Sage of Shadow."<br>"In other words, your request is for me to accept the position of one of these Sages so I will assist you in saving a place of which I have had no previous involvement with, and accept all of the risks that come with it. That is what you are asking, correct?"  
>"I know it sounds insane, but yes."<br>Meta Knight's eyes narrowed. She wanted to move away from him; she couldn't discern his thoughts on the matter. That unclearness unnerved her.  
>"Just what, might I ask," he finally said, "allows you to think that I will help you?"<br>He was right. All of the Sages she'd appointed in the past had had a reason to help her. Ike was doing it because he was her and Link's friend, Pit was doing it simply because he liked to give service to those in need, and Marth was doing it to gain experience that could ultimately help him reclaim his homeland.  
>But Meta Knight wasn't their friend, wasn't exactly a charitable person and already had all of the fighting skills and experience that he needed. What reason <em>did<em> he have to help her?  
>"I can give you something in turn," she said. "Just name it."<br>A new spark flickered in his eyes. She wasn't sure if she liked that spark.  
>"If that is so, then my terms are simple. I can ensure that I will help you in your quest, but in exchange you must ensure the defeat of Solid Snake in the Tournament."<br>Sheik felt like she'd been punched. She barely stopped herself from shivering.  
>"But that's impossible," she said. "Snake's never been defeated—"<br>"There is a first for everything." Meta Knight clearly wasn't going to budge. "Granted, his defeat will not be my doing. That is disappointing. But my chance has been used. Link's—nor yours, should you advance to the finals—hasn't. If Snake suffers his first loss at either of your hands, then I shall obtain much satisfaction."  
>"Meta Knight, please listen. Snake is a very dangerous Brawler and has even killed before—"<br>"I realize that," he said. "But that doesn't alter my terms. Either swear that you or Link will defeat Snake, or I will not help you."  
>She closed her eyes. She didn't want to believe this, but he'd made quite plain that he would not do anything unless she beat Snake, and Meta Knight was the best Brawler to be a Sage of Shadow. The moment she'd thought of him was the moment that she'd subsequently eliminated all other possibilities.<br>"Fine. I promise that either I or Link will win against Snake in the All-Star Tournament."  
>Meta Knight closed his eyes. He looked the most content she'd seen him all day. "Good."<br>"Now, does this mean I can appoint you?"  
>"I suppose it does."<br>She rose to her feet. She laid a hand on Meta Knight's armor and came into contact with the power of the Sages. She almost asked him if he was sure about this, just as she had with Pit and Marth, but then decided against it. If she wanted to save Hyrule, she would have to be much more decisive.  
>The power flowed down her veins and left her body. Meta Knight's body tightened, and then he relaxed.<br>Sheik sat back down on the bed and began clearing the dizziness away. She searched the remaining two powers of the Sages. All she sensed was Water and Forest.  
>So it was just as she had predicted. Meta Knight was officially the Sage of Shadow.<br>Now she had to uphold her end of the bargain.

"You agreed to _what_?"

Sheik gave the bag five quick, successive punches. "I had to. It was the only way to get him to cooperate."

Link caught her arm before she could deliver a sixth. "Sheik, the next round is a week from today. We don't have much time before Ganondorf acts again or tries to penetrate the barrier—"

"Then I suggest we start training hard," she said. She wrested her wrist out of his grip. "Because Meta Knight's already the Sage of Shadow and if neither of us can defeat him, Hyrule's fate is sealed. We did the impossible once when we saved Hyrule the first time and we can do it again."

He stood there, silently fuming. Then he lowered his eyes. He didn't say it, and he would never quite admit to it if asked, but she got the message all the same.

She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. You're not the Hero of Time for nothing. I believe in you."

She wrapped her arms around him and held it there for just a second longer than what she had intended it to be. A hollow feeling settled inside her when she broke the contact.

"Now let's get to it."

The following days the two Hylians trained harder than ever. They assessed every single one of Snake's strengths—he was a fantastic melee and ranged fighter. He was strong, sturdy, and very hard to knock out at close range. But fighting him at long range was just as bad, if not worse than fighting him up close. His ranged weapons weren't needles or lasers or bullets. They were explosives. One wrong move and either of their heads could be blown off. Link would have to be very careful during his match, but at the same time unafraid to take risks.  
>Sheik wasn't much better off. While she wasn't forced to shoulder as much pressure as Link, she was still slated to go against Samus, the one Brawler who had defeated her, Link and Ike. Samus was almost as dangerous as Snake, and she knew that she had to beat her. If Link's worst fears came true and he did lose against Snake, then she had to be prepared to be the one to beat him.<br>Just as she had with Peach, she adjusted her training schedule accordingly. She had learned rather painfully that long-range wasn't the best means of fighting Samus, so she only worked on her close-range combat.  
>However, since all the Brawlers trained together, Sheik, Link, Samus and Snake all had to work side-by-side. Often she found Samus sneaking looks at her. Straightaway she figured out what she was doing; Samus was assessing her. She knew because that was exactly what Sheik had done when she was paired against Peach. Link also found Snake doing the same thing. As soon as the first day of training was over, she and Link agreed that they needed to do something about it.<br>So they mislead them. Sheik worked on her aim while practicing with the Brawlers while she practiced her punches and kicks in private rooms alongside Link. If she showed off her long-range in front of Samus, then she would deduce that that was what Sheik intended to rely on during their Brawl and strategize accordingly while Sheik actually intended to utilize her skills in close combat. That way, she hoped, Samus would be thrown off during when their fight came.  
>Day after day, hour after hour they trained. Sheik knew that in order to win against the likes of Snake and Samus, they couldn't rest when they got their moves right; they could only rest when they never got them wrong. For the sake of Hyrule, their fighting styles had to be absolutely flawless.<p>

And their training wasn't the only thing they had to focus on. The day before the semifinals they found themselves spouting out ideas for the next Sages while they were training in one of the abandoned rooms.

"How about Olimer, for Forest?" Link said. "He does seem to have a good connection with his Pikmen."

"No." Sheik kicked the bag upwards and sent it six feet above the ground before it came back down. "Something tells me that he's not ready to have that kind of responsibility. Do you have any suggestions for Water?"

"Not really," he admitted. "For Water I probably would have suggested Marth, but he's sort of the Sage of Spirit now. I was never really able to think of potential Water Sages outside of him."

She barraged the bag with several jabs. "Well, we're going to have to think of something, quickly. If everything goes according to plan and you defeat Snake tomorrow, we can be out of here really soon."

The reality of her own words settled in. Should Link emerge victorious, they'd find two more Sages and that would be it. Then it would be goodbye to the Smash Mansion, and she, Link and the other six Sages would ride onward to seal Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm for good and bring peace to Hyrule.

And then. . . she didn't really know what would happen after that.

"Are you ready for the battle, Zelda?" He let one of his arrows fly before he turned to her.

"I suppose I'm as ready as I'll ever be," she said. "We have devoted a lot of time to winning the Tournament—"

"No, I don't mean your Brawl with Samus. I mean the fight with Ganondorf."

She stopped before she delivered the final jab. She mulled it over for a long moment, then proceeded to jab the bag.

"You know, since so many Brawlers are going away at once, we are going to have to make up some sort of story about our departure," she said. "If we don't, then our sudden disappearances will arouse suspicion. Suspicion will direct Ganondorf's eyes to the matter and he will figure out just where we're going."

"Well, this is new information."

Sheik dropped her needles and whirled around. Leaning against the wall, right next to the doorway with her arms folded, was a familiar blue vixen.

Krystal.

She'd overheard much.

Krystal cocked her head. "So you're the missing Princess Zelda. As I said, new information. I wonder what I'll do with it."


	20. Chapter 19: Water

**A/N: You know, I can't really think of anything I need to say this time, so I'm just going to go ahead to the reviews and stuff.**

**Thank you Darkblaze40, InkWoven, tswift1fan, CartoonGurl201m, AnriMia24, and Purestrongpoem for reviewing! I'd also like to thank everyone who's favorited, followed, or simply give a glance at this story every now and then, because this story wouldn't have come as far as it has without the support. :D**

**Enjoy Chapter 19!**

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><p><span>Chapter 19: Water<span>

Panic flooded Sheiks' chest. "Please, don't tell anyone—"

"Why shouldn't I?" Krystal analyzed her like she was seeing her for the first time. "You're Princess Zelda. You left your homeland so you could become a Brawler, didn't you? I'd say that you need to return to your country."

"Krystal, don't you dare even think of repeating the truth to anyone," Link said hotly. His hand twitched upwards, as though he was about to draw another arrow and send it flying at her head. "If you do, I'll personally ensure that you'll regret it."

"Link—"

"You're a Hero, Link," Krystal said, interrupting Sheik. "Heroes don't do that. Thus you have posed an empty threat."

"Are you sure you want to test that theory?"

Her smirk fell.

"You're right, the reason she went missing was to fight," he continued. "But that's not true anymore. The only reason she hasn't gone back to Hyrule by now is because she _can't_ go back. Hyrule has been taken over, and the only way to save it is to find new Sages that can help put an end to all of this. If she's caught, Hyrule is doomed. So unless you're fine with civilizations falling into deeper ruin than they're already in, I suggest you keep your mouth shut."

Silence drummed through the room. Krystal looked torn.

Then, slowly, her ears lowered to her head. She clasped her hands in front of her. "I'm sorry. I didn't know the situation was that bad. If I'd known then I wouldn't have been as. . ."

"Cruel?" Sheik finished.

She flinched, but nodded all the same. "I always am on first sight, especially to the female Brawlers. Whenever I see you and others try for a position it takes me back to when I tried to become a Brawler myself. I suppose I become rather envious at times."

Krystal had tried to become a Brawler? Sheik wouldn't have guessed that anytime soon. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.

To think, she had been forced to sit there day after day, watching as others achieved the dream she could not hope to fulfill. . . Sheik had to admit that she'd become a little resentful as well.

"I'm sorry," she said. "That must be difficult."

Link's face suddenly lit up. "Wait, Zelda. Krystal, the Sages. . . What if Krystal was to become a Sage?"

Sheik exchanged looks with Krystal. She looked terrified at the idea, but allured and excited by it at the same time.

"Just think about it," he said when neither of the girls responded. "We're grasping straws as to who perfectly fits requirements to be a Sage, and she knows about your identity already."

"Perhaps it could work, but not without her consent."

She turned to the vixen. "Would you?" she asked.

Krystal seemed at a loss for words. She couldn't blame her. Then she got a good look at Link, followed by a good look at Sheik.

"I would."

"Really?" she said. "Because we don't want to pressure others into becoming Sages, only if they're willing—"

"And I'm willing. If it's as Link says and entire civilizations are hanging in the balance, then this decision really isn't a hard one."

So Link was right. Krystal really was an excellent choice of a Sage. She was responsible enough for the task and even perfectly willing to do it. She'd even be the first female Sage, a welcome change to Sheik.

"Okay Krystal, here's how ordinations work. First come with me over to the wall—you'll at least feel a little nauseous afterwards, so it's good to have something to maintain your balance with."

So Krystal heeded her counsel and walked with her over to a nearby wall.

"Now, get down to your knees," she said. "Again, it's not really essential, but it does allow me to better pass on the power to you."

She was kneeling before she'd even finished what she had been saying. Sheik smiled and laid her hand on her head.

"Thank you, Krystal," she said. "Thank you so much."

"Of course."

Sheik closed her eyes and brought forth the power of the Sages. Only two came to greet her. One flowed through her veins and into Krystal while the other remained where it belonged.

She removed her hand from her head and shot out an arm against the wall to maintain her balance. Krystal, in the meantime, swayed and her eyelids began to flutter shut as she slowly slid down the wall and to the ground with her eyes peacefully closed.

She felt Link by at her side within a matter of seconds. "Well? It worked?"

"Yes," she said in an exhale. "Of course it did."

"Which one is left?"

Sheik's surroundings became a blur as she concentrated on the sole power that was left inside her. Soon she came into contact with it and could feel a strong willpower and mindset, but also a sense of innocence and freedom.

Forest. Which meant Krystal was now the Sage of Water.

Five down, one to go.

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><p>The day of the semifinals came much sooner than Sheik would have liked. She made sure to go to bed early and the first thing she did when she woke up was go over her training. During the breakfast several Brawlers came up to her and wished her luck. Outwardly she was cordial and thanked them, but inwardly she was silently begging them to stop. She really didn't take kindly to being reminded of the Brawl.<p>

Her nerves followed her throughout the day and up to the beginning of her Brawl. She found Krystal on her way out of the Smash Mansion and to the Arena.

"Relax," Krystal said. Her eyes flickered toward Smash City and lingered there for a moment before she turned away and shrugged. "Stretch and loosen up your muscles a lot. You won't fight as good if they're tight."

Sheik nodded. That was common knowledge, but it still felt good to hear that all the same.

She left her at the entryway and bid her a thank you. Soon she arrived at her warm-up room, her mind feeling just as, if not more, fuzzy than it had been when she was first slated to go against Samus.

Nausea almost overcame her entirely when the announcer's voice rang through the Arena. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the semifinals of the first annual Super Smash Brothers All-Star Tournament!"

As always, the crowd went wild.

"We have two matches today, and boy are they both doozies for you! Here we have both the top two male Brawlers going head-to-head and the top two female Brawlers competing for a spot in the finals. Now, as always, it's ladies first!"

_How very courteous,_ she thought sarcastically.

"First up, we have a ninja-like combatant who recently rose from her standing as a rookie to one of the best fighters in the organization. . . please welcome, Sheik!"

She ran out. She didn't even hear the cheering crowd. She thought back to her training and reviewed her routines.

Routine A. Punch midsection. Grab her shoulder. Push her to the ground. Stomp on spine.

Routine B. If grabbed, stab with a needle. Give a swift kick to the stomach and jump out of the way before she can retaliate.

Routine C. Kick, then slam the heel of your hand into the jaw. Will be especially effective if there's a wall behind the head.

"Now we have one of the Founders of the Super Smash Brothers and one of the most feared intergalactic bounty hunters to walk across the face of the planets . . . please welcome, Samus!"

Too late she realized that the announcer had said 'Samus', not 'Zero Suit Samus'.

Sure enough, walking out of the other side of the Arena was not the blonde fighter featured in a tight blue jumpsuit, but instead the bright orange armor that ways loomed of Samus's bed at night.

"Oh no," she muttered. With her armor, Samus's offensive power was heightened greatly and her defense nearly impenetrable. This meant she would be far less vulnerable than usual.

But there was still vulnerability.

Samus and Sheik shook hands as she processed information. Because Samus was wearing armor, she'd definitely be slower than usual while she would be retaining her speed. That would be an advantage she'd have to exploit. And perhaps, while fighting close-range, there would be chinks the armor. Perhaps she could use them to her advantage just as she had with Gray Fox.

She sharply yanked herself back into reality when the announcer's voice could be heard again. "The setting shall be. . . Spear Pillar?"

Spear Pillar?

White surrounded her before she could even begin to think if she'd seen it before in a Brawl.

Sheik didn't have to wonder for long. A second later Spear Pillar materialized. She was standing on a chipped off portion of a cobblestone sidewalk dyed in blue and purples tinges. A starry night sky blanketed the area. Two platforms rose and descended in the air in opposite directions, and to one side of her stood multiple broken-off columns. A large, flat space divided the columns.

She looked up at the platform above her. The beginnings of a strategy appeared in her head: find her way up there and see where the battle took her after that.

"BRAWL!"

Sheik acted fast. She unraveled the chain and flung it upward.

But Samus acted faster. She heard the sound of something being launched, and the next thing she knew her feet were burning and she was being thrown back. She landed ungracefully, her head over the edge. Her chest slammed into her back forcefully when she next exhaled.

Then she spotted something. A very faint green light.

Something was down there.

Sheik looked up to see Samus almost upon her. She'd have to use her knowledge later.

Samus stopped to deliver a punch toward the ground. She rolled out of the way just in time. She lifted herself up to see Samus's armored legs—and the crack in between the plating.

Sheik wasted no time. She dropped the chain and whipped out her needles. She dug them into the indent in her armor, digging them into her skin as much as she could before dragging them down the length of the indent.

She could hear the bounty hunter's howl of pain even through the helmet. She let go of the needles, picked up her chain again and hoisted herself up onto the platform.

Now there was the matter of what she was to do next. Thanks to her new leg wound, there was no doubt that Sheik had the advantage when it came to speed.

Suddenly she noticed a newcomer to the battle—a dark blue and white creature that faintly reminded her of some sort of wingless dragon, its eyes burning as brightly as fire. What in the world was that? A part of the overall Spear Pillar setting, perhaps?

She ducked when an electric bullet came flying her way. She looked down. Samus was not very far from the platform.

She glanced at her chain. Then she threw it down at Samus, effectively grabbing her. She summoned up every last bit of strength she had, lifted Samus into the air and slammed her down on the ground.

The force of the slam dragged Sheik down as well. The cobblestone did not prove to be a very soft landing; her nose burned upon contact, and she faintly wondered if that was a crack she'd heard.

She sluggishly sat up only to see that Samus had recovered first. She hit Sheik with her green arm-cannon. The impact nearly sent her on the ground again.

Nearly. Sheik pushed herself to stand up and aimed a punch at the visor in her helmet. Samus easily caught the punch and twisted her arm behind her back.

She grunted. She refused to give Samus the satisfaction of crying out.

But she couldn't help but do exactly that when Samus punched her shoulder, making the pain of having her arm twisted behind her even more stretched out.

Then the pressure on her arm released. Sheik looked behind her to see that she had let go of her arm—

Only to see a beam of light beginning to form exactly where they were.

Samus crouched down, raising her arms and lowering her head just as the beam fully materialized.

Sheik, on the other hand, was unprepared; she was thus sent flying back high into the air when the edge of the beam scorched her. She shot out her arm and latched onto a descending platform.

She panted and took a look at her torso. Much of her clothing was blackened, and some small tears around her stomach exposed charred skin. She immediately looked away as though the sight burned her eyes.

She brought her chain to the surface of the platform and hoisted herself up. She grimaced when her sizzling skin was stretched.

Her eyelids drifted shut when she made it to the top. What she wouldn't give for just a little respite, or some healing food . . .

She forced them back open. No. She couldn't rest, especially with Hyrule's sake possibly on the line.

She rose to her feet and looked around. The first thing she laid eyes on was a glowing metal sphere.

The Smash Ball.

Sheik waited until the platform reached its peak height, then she jerked her chain upwards and made contact with the Ball.

Just two more hits.

She tried hitting it again with the chain, but the Smash Ball drifted out of the way. Two electric bullets hit it simultaneously.

She looked at Samus, who was preparing to fire a third shot. Then she looked back to the Smash Ball.

Her eyes narrowed. No way was she letting her get the Final Smash.

Sheik catapulted herself off of the platform and flipped toward the Smash Ball. She flicked her chain toward it, hitting it a second time.

One more.

She flipped again and caught a glimpse of Samus in the process. She too was in midair, flipping up to the Smash Ball and already at the same height as her.

Sheik gritted her teeth and executed another flip. She detached her legs from her chest to see that the Smash Ball was just a foot away from her, in arm's reach . . .

Then subsequently watched Samus punch the sphere.

The Smash Ball disappeared and darkness subsequently enveloped the battlefield.

Oh no.

Sure enough, Samus was surrounded by a rainbow glow. She pulled her elbows back and, hovering in midair, knelt down and aimed her arm-cannon in front of her.

Sheik remembered how Mario had turned to face Link when he activated his Final Smash. That had been the end of him.

She wouldn't make the same mistake.

Sheik flipped behind Samus and landed on one of the platforms. She watched her charge her gun, and then saw a beam of light stronger than the previous one shoot out of the cannon.

She was _really_ glad that she hadn't been in the way.

The beam faded. She could hear Samus curse multiple times and the suit began to fall off piece by piece.

Zero Suit Samus was about to return. That meant. . . She was faster now, but more vulnerable and more susceptible to . . .

The plan formulated so quickly that she didn't even finish the thought. She just ran over and collected two armor parts—a helmet and an arm guard—as Samus began to fall to the ground.

Sheik backed away slightly. She threw the arm guard at Samus once she had landed. "Hey Samus!"

It hit her shoulder. Samus whirled around, and her ponytail lashed out at the air as she did so.

Sheik grinned. "Looks like your Final Smash failed, didn't it?"

Samus's face contorted into anger. She charged toward Sheik.

She waited until she was close enough, then she spun on her heel and made a break for it. She refused to be fazed, even when the entire arena slanted, making it look as though she were going uphill. She quickly deduced that it was an illusion; actually running uphill would require more effort.

Sheik continued to run, not stopping when she got closer to the end, and then hurled herself off of the edge.

She raised her free hand and grabbed the ledge of the underground part of Spear Pillar. She swung her legs onto the edge and stood up.

She looked around. She was in some sort of crystal catacomb. Small crystals stuck out of the bare ground and some larger ones snaked up the walls. Together all of the crystals gave the area a beautiful green glow.

She looked back to the opening she had come through and shortly saw Samus fall off.

She smiled. Her plan had worked; Samus had ran so fast that she had fallen off the edge as she had done so.

Now she was going to use that to her advantage.

Sheik drew her arm back to her shoulder and walked closer. She only had one shot.

Samus was in full view. She hurled the helmet at the bounty hunter's head as hard as she could.

The two made contact. All of Samus's muscles slackened. She was powerless to do anything as she fell down, down into the abyss of black until she could not be seen anymore.

"The winner is. . . Sheik!"

She gasped. She was immobile.

She had. . . She had won.

Against Samus.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please give a hand for the first of our two finalists in the Super Smash Brothers All-Star Tournament!"

The crystal catacombs transformed back into the Arena, where she could hear nothing but the audience's applause and cheering. A few rose and gave her a standing ovation, and like a virus it spread over the crowd until everyone was standing.

All for her.

She shook, barely noticing Samus being carried away on a stretcher. She waved to the crowd, and somehow they managed to defy all odds and cheer even louder.

She headed back walking, trying to resist the red adrenaline surging through her, but it was no use. Sheik found herself shamelessly running to the warm-up room with her head held up higher than ever.

Her euphoria only rose when she saw Link there waiting for her. His smile was just as large as hers.

"You did—"

Sheik threw herself on him and hugged him. Caught aback, Link stumbled, but recovered shortly. He returned the hug while spinning her around.

Her abdomen hurt from laughing too much. When had she begun laughing? She didn't know. She didn't care.

"You're right," she said. She cupped her hands over her mouth and laughed again.

"I can't believe it." A tear leaked down from both eyes. "I honestly can't believe it."

"Well, you should," Link said. "Because you did."

He was right. She really had. All of her work and training had paid off.

And not just when it came to Brawls. "To think," she said, "we need only to find a Forest Sage and defeat Snake. Then we can seal Ganondorf and reclaim Hyrule."

Just the morning earlier she'd wondered however they would be able to do it. Now she wondered however they would _not_ be able to do it.

"Defeat Snake," he said. "Yeah, definitely."

His tone was cheerful, but she could sense his true feelings.

"Don't worry," she said. "If I can defeat Samus, then you can definitely defeat Snake."

Then she did something that surprised herself. Sheik lowered the cloth and kissed him on the cheek.

"You'll do great."

Link smiled. "You're right."

This time, his optimism seemed genuine.

He walked over to the entrance to the Arena while Sheik headed toward the food and medical supplies. She grimaced as she lifted herself up on the counter.

Then she looked back toward Link. His feet were set apart in a defensive stance and his broad shoulders were squared. The green hat obscured most of his hair, but from what she could see, it didn't look too ruffled but it didn't look too groomed, either. With the Master Sword strapped to his back, Sheik couldn't see how Link couldn't win.

He looked back to her, smiling.

Her heart rose just a little. "You've got this."

Link nodded.

"Now, was that an entertaining Brawl or what?" came the announcer's voice. "But stay in your seats, folks, because we've got another Brawl coming!"

Sheik smiled as she took a bite of pie. Yes, they certainly did.

"First up, we have another Founder of the Super Smash Brother's. He's brave, strong and the ultimate champion of his country, the hero of all heroes. . . Please welcome, Link!"

He went into the Arena. Sheik added a short cheer of her own when she was sure that Link couldn't tell hers apart from the others.

She took another bite. Some of the blackened skin on her stomach receded when she swallowed. Link so had this, he'd beat Snake, he'd make it into the finals—

The thought stopped her mid-chew.

He would make it into the finals. With her.

They would be pitted against each other.

Sheik swallowed in a very deliberate manner. Surely that wouldn't happen. If it did they'd simply leave the Smash Arena beforehand to save Hyrule.

But what if they did find themselves meeting at the opposite ends of the Arena?

Sheik moved on to a hamburger and tried not to think of what that would be like.

* * *

><p>In no time at all, Link found himself at the center of the Arena. He tried to keep a clear head; but with the crowd, the fresh memory of Zelda's kiss and the fate of Hyrule all in mind, he was finding that to be quite impossible.<p>

He almost gave up on the effort entirely when the announcer's voice came again. "And now, introducing the second combatant and the last semifinalist, the incredible supersoldier and the only Brawler thus far to be completely undefeated. . . Please welcome, the one and only, Snake!"

With that, Snake walked out into the Arena. As usual, he was clad in a gray suit with a black headband tied around his forehead. As per usual, he had multiple explosives, pistols and fighting knives in his arsenal. The only Brawler this far to be completely undefeated.

A corner of his mouth rose. Until now, he thought.

They shook hands.

"It's show time," Snake said.

Link smirked. "I believe it is."

The stage was announced before Snake could respond. "The setting shall be. . . The Temple!"

Wait, the Temple?

A bright white light took them to a wide, spacious area. It was outdoors, cared for by a perfect blue sky. The structurewas highly elaborate.

But the thing that got him most were the buildings. Whether they were unfinished, chipped walls or just huge slabs of rubble, one thing was the same. The architecture was distinctly Hylian.

He looked up to Snake, who was standing on a higher tier than him.

He drew Master Sword. He could practically feel the mark on his hand burn. The mark reminded him that he was the Hero. If anyone could defeat Solid Snake, it was him.

Link took one last good look at his surroundings.

For Hyrule, he thought.

"BRAWL!"


	21. Chapter 20: Duress

**A/N: Seemed like you guys really liked that last chapter. I'm glad! :D Because it'll be the last happy one for a while.**

**Okay, last time I couldn't think of what to say, now I do indeed have some, you know, just a little business. Seriously, can we just take a moment to appreciate the next SSB game coming out? And the fact that MIDNA AND SKULLKID ARE ASSIST TROPHIES? 8D I can't wait for this thing. **

**Second thing. I can now officially confirm that Royal Brawler will have a total of thirty chapters (but it'll show up as thirty-one on here). Out of those thirty chapters, I am currently working on twenty-eight. Updates should now take two or three weeks long _at the very most_. I'd probably post them more frequently, but I do need time to edit them and make them perfect for you guys.**

**So that finishes my little news-thingy. Shout-outs to Purestrongpoem, Pandora151, CartoonGurl201m, InkWoven, Gray-Chan Fallen, tswift1fan and AnriMia24. You're all awesome. :)**

* * *

><p>Chapter 20: Duress<p>

Link jumped up to the higher level of the Temple and swung his sword at his stomach twice. Snake tried to retaliate with a punch, but he lifted his shield. He tried to smash his shield into his head, but Snake ducked and then jumped away.

Snake rolled further away, and then he crouched down and brought out a black missile launcher. He stationed it on his thigh and fired. The missile sailed straight toward him.

He ran and dove behind the rubble. The missile hit the slabs instead. The impact shook the rubble, causing Link to fall on his chest.

He risked a glance at Snake. He pulled his head down a second after he exposed it.

So Snake had been setting up a land mine. He knew that Link needed to fight him close-range in order to win so he was setting up a trap.

Nice try, Link thought.

He set aside his shield, sheathed his sword and got out his bow and arrow. He fitted the arrow to the bow.

He took a deep breath. Then he stood up before he could stop himself. He took aim at the mine and let the arrow fly.

The arrow missed. Snake looked at him.

Link cursed under his breath and notched another arrow. He steadied himself while aiming, and shortly fired. He dropped the bow and covered his ears; sure enough, the mine exploded.

He picked up his bow again, loaded an arrow and fired at a second mine Snake had set up. He covered his ears again before that exploded as well.

He was inserting another arrow when he saw a wailing bomb headed his way. He thought fast, fired an arrow at the bomb and turned and ran. As expected, another explosion went off.

Link stopped to set his bow back to where it belonged. He stole a look at Snake to see him getting his missile launcher ready. The missile departed from its source.

He whipped out his hookshot and fired at the top of one of the columns. Link surged through the air as the missile came at him. It crashed into the column.

A large crack tore through the air. The column moaned and tilted towards the ground.

Link detached his hookshot from the column. His stomach lurched downwards as he fell. Then he pointed it at the column next to it and sent the grapple to the top. He felt himself going back up again.

He removed the grapple once he reached the top. He looked down from the great height and saw Snake run to the ground right underneath him.

He wouldn't have a chance if he kept fighting him at a distance. Snake's explosives were simply too powerful.

Fighting close-range, on the other hand, could prove to be beneficial.

Link drew the Master Sword and leaped off of the column. At first he was airborne, more than ready to take down Snake—

And the next thing he knew his shirt was on fire and his skin was burning. He made contact with the ground and could subsequently feel his legs tear open and his flesh sizzle.

He closed his mouth just in time to conceal an excruciating yell of pain. Even through closed lips the cry was loud.

He forced himself to take a look at his legs; it looked like sizzling coal. He looked at his stomach; it too looked burnt, and pieces of shrapnel had found its way there.

Link panted, which just made his stomach hurt even worse. He placed his hands on the ground and tried to life himself up to his feet only to be forced back down by the sheer pain.

Suddenly he remembered Dr. Mario's death. He hadn't been there to watch the Brawl himself (and he was glad he hadn't), but he certainly remembered when he'd received the news. If he made one wrong move, he realized, Dr. Mario would be replaced by him.

Which was why he would have to be very careful. But even so, in the name of Hyrule, he had to keep on fighting.

He reached for his sword and closed his fingers around it. Then he pushed past the pain and stood up. When he did, he could see both the remains of a missile and land mine. So Snake had set up a mine at the bottom and thrown a bomb at him. He was extremely grateful that the explosive weren't too powerful, otherwise he would have been blown to bits.

"Hi-ya!" Link strode toward Snake and brought his blade over his head. He prepared to bring it down on him when Snake punched him cleanly in the jaw. He then kicked him in the stomach with enough force to send him flying across the Hylian battlefield.

Link felt himself descending when he reached the edge of the Temple. He rotated the Master Sword as he fell so that the blade pointed downwards and held it out far in front of him. When he came to the edge of the battlefield, the tip of the Master Sword buried itself in the cobblestone while he remained in midair. His grip on the sword's handle was the only thing preventing him from plummeting straight to his defeat.

He panted. He reinforced his grip on the handle when it began to slacken. He let go with one hand and gripped the edge of the cobblestone. He gritted his teeth and tried to pull himself up. His sweaty hand slipped and fell back to his side. He gave a short cry.

Then a horrible thought came to him. What if he failed? What if he ultimately slipped and fell to his defeat? All of his training would be for nothing and it would be up to Zelda to defeat Snake—

That thought stopped him.

He pictured Zelda fighting Snake in all of his explosive brutality. The possibility made his stomach twist.

He wouldn't allow that to happen. What kind of hero would be if he did?

Link gripped the edge of the cobblestone and pushed himself upward. His arms shook from the strain and the pain. Yet he had to fight it, he had to fight it, he had to fight it—

He released a short cry and heaved himself up on the stage.

He closed his eyes, allowing himself to savor a brief respite. His forehead was slick, his shirt was sticking to his chest both through blood and sweat and his legs still burned like crazy.

But he'd made it up.

Link opened his eyes in time to see something shiny fall from the sky and land right next to him. He turned his head to look at it.

An apple. One that would relieve him of pain, if the healing items they occasionally dropped in Brawls were anything to go by. Link picked it up and took a large bite out of it.

Immediately the effects took place. Much of the burns began to fade and some cuts and gashes mended themselves. Renewed vigor took the place of the tiredness weighing him down.

Link rose from his knees to his feet. He straightened himself until his spine was as erect as a rod. He pulled the Master Sword from the ground and guided it to his side.

Snake turned around. His eyes widened and his eyebrows furrowed like he couldn't believe that he was actually there.

Link grinned. "I'm not going down without a fight."

* * *

><p>Sheik had become so engaged with the Brawl that she forgot to continue treating her wounds. She had silently rooted for Link when he'd shot down Snake's bombs and mines, marveled at his reflexes when he swung from column to column and had all but screamed when he had been drowning in explosions. She'd been nothing short of horrified when she saw his wounds and had clasped a ha d over her mouth when Snake had sent Link sailing over to the edge of the stage, winding up with the Hylian dangling over the edge. Her hope of Link winning the Brawl had been hanging on a thread.<p>

But both he and her hope had endured. Tears of joy pricked her eyes when she saw him rising back up to meet the challenge.

Someone entered the room just as Link and Snake charged toward each other. She looked over her shoulder to see a medic stocking her tray with new food.

"Well then, here you go," she said brightly. "And congratulations on making it to the Finals."

"Thank you." She turned her attention back to the Brawl. Link was thrusting the Master Sword at Snake.

They watched him duck when Snake aimed a punch at his head and bring his knee up to his stomach. Snake reeled back and grimaced.

"Wow," the medic said. "I've never seen someone last that long against Snake, especially when wounded like that. I know that if I were that injured, I doubt I'd be able to stand, let alone fight."

"He's just determined," Sheik said.

"Well then, that's some insane determination."

She mulled over the medic's words. Then she nodded.

* * *

><p>Link shoved his elbow into Snake's cheek. He'd been aiming for the nose, but he supposed that that would do.<p>

Snake jumped only for Link to follow. He held his sword out in front of him and spun around. He was met with a flurry of punches and kicks, then Snake dropped to the ground on his knees with a punch.

He flipped the Master Sword around, landed next to Snake, and struck the handle into his exposed shoulder. He was just about to drive it into his shoulder again when he covered himself with a cardboard box.

"What the-" Where had Snake even GOTTEN that from?

Then something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Something with a light blue, cylindric case.

An Assist Trophy.

Link broke out into a run, skidded to a halt and grabbed it. He held it up in tne air triumphantly and opened it. A second later it disappeared into light to be replaced by-

A stout little man clad in a green jumpsuit with a curly mustache and a goatee.

He blinked. "Tingle?" He laughed-whether it was from actual hilarity or unnerving disbelief, he couldn't tell.

Tingle ignored him. He just stood there. Then he spun around. "Tingle Tingle. . ."

He hopped back to his starting position and held his arms up above him in a victory pose. "Kooloo-limpah!" A plethora of bright flowers burst from behind him and showered him pinks, greens and purples.

Tingle smiled. He looked far too pleased with himself. Then he vanished.

Link stared at the spot where he had once been. "Gee, thanks for the help," he said.

That's when he heard a faint beeping. He looked down and saw a grenade right at his feet.

Link dropped to the ground and rolled away just in time. The grenade blew up behind him, leaving his ears ringing.

He sighed. If only Snake didn't have his explosives. Maybe he wouldn't be quite as powerful.

Then it hit him.

It was just as he had thought earlier. What if Snake didn't have his explosives? It couldn't be too hard to ensure; they were, after all, all hooked on a harness of his.

Link stood up and ran toward him. Snake jumped and brought his leg down in a powerful blow and forced him to stumble back. He lunged at Link, punched him twice and kicked him.

He barely felt the attacks now that he had a new mission in mind. He wove around Snake, grabbed his harness and sliced through it with the Master Sword. He yanked it off of him and spirited it away toward the edge.

Link turned around and saw Snake coming toward him as fast as he could.

He gave him a knowing smile before dropping the harness into the clouds underneath.

The supersoldier made it to the edge just after Link let go. He reached out a hand, but it was too late. The majority of his weapons were long gone.

Then Link slammed the blunt end of the Master Sword into Snake's head as hard as he could. Snake froze for a long moment, and then fell to the ground.

He took a few steps back and watched him with baited breath. Did he actually manage to defeat him?

The announcer's voice echoed through the Temple. "The winner is. . ."

Snake sprang to up and kicked his legs out from underneath him. He grunted and stood up to see him running down a slope that led to a platform underground.

"Oh no you don't," Link muttered. He gave chase to his opponent and slid down the slope. He caught himself as he descended to the floor.

He looked around. Snake wasn't anywhere to be found.

Link stepped forward and drew his shield. He held it out in front of him as his eyes swiveled to the left, to the right, and then to the left again.

If he couldn't be seen in either of those directions, and if there was no evidence that he was underground, then that could only mean-

He realized it too late. He looked up just as Snake detached himself from the ceiling. He punched Link's ear during his descent and made his knees buckle.

Link raised his shield to defend himself, but Snake was already ripping the Master Sword and his weapons arsenal from him. With it he managed to inflict a deep gash on Link's left shoulder before dropping it.

"Gah!" He bent over to pick up the sword. Big mistake. Snake grabbed his shoulder, pulled him closer to him, flipped his body over and smashed Link's back against his thigh.

He let out gasp of pain. Snake let him drop to the ground, but not before swiping a fuse bomb from his belt.

"If I can't use my weapons," said Snake, "then I guess this means I'll have to use yours."

He lit the bomb and threw it on the floor. He then jumped up and latched onto a hover device just as the bomb burst. The impact caused the floor to rupture, and Link stood up only to fall when the cobblestone split into two. He was powerless to do anything as he fell down, down into the abyss of light blue. . .

* * *

><p>Sheik held her breath.<p>

_Come on Link,_ she begged silently. _Link, you've got this, come on, remember that I believe in you!_

But all the wishful thinking in the world couldn't stop him from falling out of sight.

"The winner is. . . Snake!"

She stared at Snake, unable to believe what she was seeing. But. . . He couldn't have. . .

Link.

By the Goddesses, Link.

She bolted up from her sitting position and made it to the entrance in two quick strides. She watched the Temple disinigrate. All that was left from the fight was Snake holding his head very high in the air and a battered, unconscious Link sprawled on the ground.

Sheik had to use every ounce of her willpower to prevent herself from running straight to Link's side, and additional ones to keep herself from punching Snake in the face.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please give a hand for our second Finalist in the Super Smash Brothers All-Star Tournament!"

Clapping ensued. Sheik felt like the only viewer who wasn't clapping. She probably was.

Snake looked around the crowd. Then he saw her.

His gaze lingered on her bright red eyes. She held it evenly. She showed no sign of flinching.

He'd hurt Link. She narrowed her eyes.

"Now, in one week's time, these two finalists will meet on the battlefield and compete for the title of the first All-Star Brawler. Farewell everyone, and be sure to mark your calendars!"

Finally Sheik closed her eyes. She couldn't let Snake see the terror in them.

* * *

><p>The streets of Smash City looked vacant. But then again, that was why Krystal was heading to the the store at this time. The best time to get groceries was when there was a Brawl going on. Everyone was either at the Arena or in their homes watching it. So she always made sure to do her shopping when a Brawl was going on (unless Fox was fighting). That way she could beat the crowd.<p>

She double-checked her list. Yup, she'd put down everything on it that she could think of. . .

A chill swept down her spine. She paused and furrowed her eyebrows. She almost felt like. .

Like someone was watching her.

Krystal turned around. The paved streets and gravel roads were bare of anyone save herself.

She continued to look around. Then she shrugged. So she must have just imagined it-

"Hello."

Her heart skipped a beat. She spun around and instinctively backed away when she laid eyes on the large figure that had appeared before her.

He was massive, with bulging muscles and being at least two heads taller than her. He wore brown clothing that she supposed was a medieval sort of armor.

But the most prominent thing about his appearance was easily his mottled dark green skin and his thin hair the color of angry fire.

The stranger cocked his head. "I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

She didn't like the sound of this favor.

Krystal's mind raced. She knew a thing or two about combat, but she wasn't necessarily a professional fighter. Her inability to become a Brawler had proved that. She knew that she especially wouldn't last long against someone as towering and strong as this stranger.

Her best bet? Run.

And if he caught her from behind?

Krystal decided on attacking his stomach. Scratch that, his groin. It was a dirty trick, but an effective one.

She relaxed her muscles. "What sort of favor?"

"You see, I have a problem," the stranger said. "Well, two problems. I must be rid of them."

She analyzed him and took in every detail that might help her figure out who he was or where he was from. His large arms told her that he had obviously seen many battles. A fair amount of his clothing looked to be made out of dark leather, but that leather looked slick. Well-tailored. He was also someone of authority, of power. A golden triangle burned on his right hand-

Krystal squinted. A Triforce mark. Just like the one seen on Link's hand and also seen (on occaision), on Sheik's.

He was from Hyrule, same as them.

Two problems, the stranger had said.

She remembered Link mentioning a name when she'd overheard him and Sheik.

"Ganondorf," she whispered.

He smiled. "Smart girl."

The many hairs on her body stood on end. He was here. Ganondorf was here himself, and was after Link and Princess Zelda.

She had to warn them.

Krystal turned around and ran as fast as she could. _Get away, get away get away get away-_

She felt something grab her arm. She smashed her foot into his groin. In turn she heard a grunt. Her hand clenched into a fist, and she brought it up against his jaw as her arm was released. She took off again as she lowered it to her side.

Krystal risked a glance behind her. He was gone. What the-

Her head whipped around to see him right in front of her. He grabbed her shoulder with a vice-like grip and dragged her into a nearby alley before she had time to scream.

He threw her down to the ground. She yelped as she made contact, the ground scraping her skin.

Krystal's entire body shook. She dug her fingers into the ground until the gravel bit into her skin. She tried to get up but only fumbled back down.

She swallowed and drew in a deep inhale through her nose. If Link or Sheik were in this position, they wouldn't show fear. So she couldn't show fear either.

She stood up and looked at Ganondorf as defiantly as she could.

"Whatever you're going to do to me, do it now," she spat. "Get it over with."

He just laughed. "Do anything to you?" he said. "Of course not."

She furrowed her eyebrows. Then why had he brought her here?

"It's not a question of what I can do, dear girl," he continued. "It's a matter of what YOU can do. I did ask you to do me a favor, did I not?"

He clasped his hands behind his back. "You see, I sent out an assassin to take care of these problems. She failed to report back, so I had no choice but to come here myself. When I arrived, I immediately moved forward to perform the task myself, but found myself repelled. Repelled by a barrier. I did everything in my power to break it, but it held strong. It appears that Princess Zelda has become powerful."

Good, Krystal thought. She hadn't known that she'd casted some sort of barrier, but she'd be sure to thank her for it.

"So it appears that I cannot confront my enemies directly. But you . . . you can."

Her blood turned into ice.

"What makes you think that I will ever help you?" she said.

She felt pretty impressed by herself. Until Ganondorf came to her in a single stride and grabbed her hand.

Her hand burned like it had touched the scorching sun. Krystal screamed.

He let go of her hand, leaving her to sink to her knees. She looked down at her palm. A series of symbols was embedded into her hand like it had been stamped with a red-hot branding iron. The red etching sizzled, especially prominent against her blue fur.

"Do you know what that is?" Ganondorf said. "It's the Hylian word for 'Curse'. And that's exactly what I've placed on you."

He brought himself down to her level and met her eyes. "You asked me what makes me think you'll help me. Here's your answer. You will report to me at the end of each night using an object that I will give to you. If you fail to do so, this curse I just placed upon you will activate and drain you of your life force. If you tell Link or Sheik of your little plight, I will activate this. If your report insufficient, I will activate this. On its third time, it will kill you. So unless you don't want to keep your very life, I suggest you do exactly as I say."

Krystal gulped. "One life is a cheap price to pay for that of many."

But she was the Water Sage, she reminded herself. She explicitly was needed to save Hyrule.

Krystal readied herself as though she were donning armor. Link and Sheik could always find a new Water Sage. If she agreed to help him, an entire civilization could fall.

He smirked. "Is that so?"

She closed her eyes and braced herself, prepared to experience the first wave of pain of the curse.

Nothing came. She opened her eyes to see Ganondorf rising to his feet.

"If that is not incentive enough," he said in a chillingly articulate manner, "then I shall place the exact same curse on Fox McCloud the first chance I get. And trust me, I will not be as cautious with his curse as I am yours."

Her eyes widened to the size of golf balls. She couldn't wrap her mind around the possibility. She didn't want to.

"So which is it?"

Krystal looked around, desperate, as if somehow her surroundings could yield a solution. "I. . ."

"Yes?" he inquired.

She opened her mouth, and then she closed it. She forced her eyes shut and released a tear from each one.

_Sheik, Link. . . _

_I'm sorry._

But even civilizations were not worth Fox's life.


	22. Chapter 21: The Trap

**A/N: Good news! It's May! About time, too, because I imagine we're all about done with school by now. On top of this greatness, I made two major achievements-1) I finished Royal Brawler! and 2) I got this great rubber wristband that says 'This is what awesome looks like', in _French__._ **

**But, uh, yeah, more on that first one. Like I said, it's complete, and I'm pretty freaking happy with the way it turned out. So yeah, just know that it's gonna have an ending. :)**

**Thank you Purestrongpoem, Darkblaze40, InkWoven, Pandora151, Gray-Chan Fallen, tswift1fan, and AnriMia24 for reviewing!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 21: The Trap<span>

She stayed with him all through the night.

After an hour or so, after the medics had performed extensive treatment on Link, Sheik was at last allowed to see him. She stood over him and talked to his unconscious body. When it was clear that he would not be waking up anytime soon, she brought a chair to the Infirmary and sat by him. She continued to do so vigilantly and spent hours in silence. She refused food that was brought to her and didn't budge when the medics insisted that she leave. She only entwined her fingers around Link's hand and persisted in watching him. At last, late into the night, her eyes drifted down. When she next opened them, sunlight was streaming out of the windows.

She stretched her free arm and legs. She looked down upon Link. He was still unconscious, but she preferred to think of him as sleeping.

Sheik gave a emitted a soft sound, like a dove's coo. She brushed a loose strand of blonde out of his face.

"Good morning." She gave his hand an affectionate squeeze.

He said nothing.

She sighed. "I wish you were awake, Link," she said. "Sometimes I like to imagine that you are and you're hearing me, but the truth is that it's really lonely being down here for ages. Although, all things considered, it's not terrible. I really enjoy being around you. Because I think I. . . I think I. . ."

She struggled to get it out of her mouth. They were just three words. Why was it so hard to say them?

Sheik sighed again, this time in resignation. "Well, the important thing is, I really care for you."

Care. The inadequacy of the reverberated in her head.

"So there's that," she said quickly. "You should really get better soon."

She remained in silence for ten minutes before she released Link's hand and stood up. She would have to eat something; she hadn't in nearly twenty-four hours and she knew he would protest if she didn't. So she made her way to the dining hall and stocked her plate with a fair amount of food, dodging any congratulations concerning the Finals in the process.

She sat down at a distance from all the other Brawlers, even Ike. If she did a conversation about the Tournament Finals would be started, and that was the last thing she needed.

Sheik was halfway through her toast when she noticed Krystal come in out of the corner of her eye. She looked down. Sheik waved her over.

Krystal seemed to deliberate on the matter, then she joined her. Once she sat next to her she could see that she was wearing gloves, and her eyes appeared more bloodshot than normal.

"Krystal?" she said. "What's wrong?"

She sighed. "There's just something concerning Fox. How are you? How's Link?"

Sheik studied her. It was obvious that her problem was a little more complicated than that, but she decided not to push it.

"I'm doing fine, I suppose," she said. "Link. . . Well, not quite as good. I'm going to visit him once I'm done eating."

"Visit him?" Krystal said. She snorted. "I think that's an understatement. I heard you didn't leave his side all day yesterday."

"Well, all night, too. I accidentally fell asleep there. What can I say? He needs to have _someone _to wake up to. Besides, we'll need to discuss our plans for the future."

"Plans?" She tilted her head in interest. "What kinds of plans?"

Sheik looked over her shoulder. All of the other Brawlers were absorbed in eating or talking.

She turned back to the Sage of Water. "Our plans to leave Smash City. We were originally going to do it sometime around now, but we must wait at least a week before we confront Ganondorf."

"Why's that?"

"Because I haven't found a Forest Sage yet, Link's wounded and I have to beat Snake in the Tournament."

"Wait, you have to beat Snake? Why do you—"

"Because of Meta Knight," she said. "He allowed me to appoint him as Sage of Shadow, but only on the condition that Snake's defeated in the Tournament. Link was supposed to be the one to do it, but that obviously didn't work out."

"Speaking of Link, you said he was pretty wounded. How so? I wasn't there to see either of your Brawls."

"Let's see. . . Incredibly burnt legs, gashes in his stomach from where shrapnel used to be, another gash in his shoulder, a cracked spine and that's not mentioning all the cuts and bruises he got."

Krystal whistled. "That's pretty serious. Is he going to. . . You know. . . Be able to stand anytime soon?"

"I'm assuming he will. You know as well as I that the medical supplies and food available are some of the best this world has ever seen. He'll be fine, and hopefully soon. I just have no idea when; his injuries were severe."

"So how do you plan to leave?"

"Preferably on horseback. I haven't been able to ride Twilight for some time now."

"Twilight?"

"The horse I came to Smash City on. I put her in a stable. I check on her from time to time, but the last time she's been checked on was when I asked Link to do it a week ago. . . Say, can you do that for me?"

"I-I don't know if I have the time," Krystal said. "And you haven't seen her in at least a week, right? Maybe you should go and check on her."

Sheik found herself shaking her head before she even finished her sentence. "Absolutely not. I need to have someone check on her for me."

"But if you really care for Twilight you'd make sure she was okay yourself, ri—"

"No, Krystal, please, listen to me." She leaned in close to her ear. "I've put up a barrier around the Smash Arena. No one's noticed because it's only designed to keep one person out."

"And that would be. . . That would be Ganondorf, right? I heard Link mention a Ganondorf."

Sheik nodded. "Yes. But in order to keep Ganondorf outside I have to stay _inside _the barrier. Link and you and everyone else is free to go wherever they wish, I cannot dwell anywhere outside of the Mansion or Arena. Otherwise Ganondorf will target not only Link and I, but people we hold close to us. People like you. Understood?"

"I. . . I . . ."

"Krystal, _do you understand_?"

She stared at her, and then she nodded.  
>"Good," Sheik said. "It's just. . . I have to protect myself and all those that I've come to care for. I'd do anything for them, and so would you."<p>

A dark look swept over her eyes. She closed them and shrugged. "That's true."

She stood up. "I need to go get breakfast."

Sheik knitted her eyebrows. "Krystal, you know that you can tell me anything, right?"

For the longest moment, Krystal looked torn. She looked like she really wanted to say something.

Then she nodded. "Right."

She walked away without another word.

* * *

><p>Sheik finished up her breakfast and walked back to the Infirmary. Link still hadn't woken up, so she settled back into the chair and prepared herself for another day of numbing silence.<p>

This time she was so lost in her thoughts that she almost didn't hear the groan.

Her head shot up, her senses suddenly on high alert. She looked to Link to see his eyes part slightly.

She turned her entire body toward him and moved herself nearly to the edge of the chair. "Link?"

He looked at her. Then his eyes closed again. Her hope sunk as quickly as it had risen.

She was startled again when she heard a soft mumbling a few seconds later.

"Link? Did you say something?"

He release a tight, tired exhale. "Hi there. . . Zelda."

She snuck a glance at Samus to make sure she hadn't heard that. She was still unconscious.

"Hello, Link," she said. "How are you feeling?"

His eyes opened again, and this time they stayed open. They wandered around before arriving to her.

Somehow he managed a half-smile. "I've been better. How-" he grimaced, "how long have I been out?"

"A little less than a day."

"Hmm." Link managed to sit up slightly. "How long have you been here for?"

"Almost the entire time," she admitted. "Except for a little while this morning. It was breakfast time, so I went over to get some."

"Good. I'd be concerned if you didn't." Just as she'd predicted.

"Do we have a Forest Sage yet?"

Sheik shook her head.

Link sighed. "Well, we have to find one soon. We need to leave and defeat Ganondorf as soon as we can—"

"No. We're staying until after the Finals."

"But—"

"No buts. You know as well as I that I have to beat Snake in a Brawl otherwise Meta Knignt won't help me. And even if I didn't, there's no way you will be able to fight Ganondorf in that condition. I won't be able to focus on the Sage of Forest for a while. I have to train."

But would that be enough? Link, the Hero of Time himself was unable to do it even after a week or rigorous training. He was a much better Brawler than her.

If he couldn't do it. . . then how was she supposed to?

Link seemed to sense what she was thinking, because he said, "Yeah, you do, don't you? Because you're not an average Brawler, and with just a little more training. . . well, who knows what could happen?"

And so, over the next week, she trained. She worked herself harder than ever before. She was the first to arrive at the training field and the last to leave. She didn't even go to the Dining Hall with the other Brawlers—she'd just snag food during breakfast, bring it with her to the training area and eat between punches and kicks. Sometimes she rewarded herself with larger quantities of food when she felt that she had done particularly good.

Through it all she made sure to visit Link. She'd often find herself doing so late at night, when all of her training was said and done. Just as she'd hoped, Link was making a very quick and sure recovery. Within three days his burns were mostly gone, the gash on his shoulder mended, all but one of the stab wounds in his stomach were gone and his back was making excellent progress at mending.

Together they began discussing just how they would leave when the time came. Just as she had thought earlier, the common agreement was to go forth to Hyrule on horseback. They and many of the Sages were experienced with riding horses, and those who didn't could simply hang on to the riders. They managed to get ahold of a map showcasing Smash City and its surroundings and set to work at plotting and calculating the quickest route to Hyrule.

"So now it's just a matter of getting the right documents and story," Link said once they were sure that they had found it.

"And of finding the next Sage of Forest," said Sheik.

_And beating Snake,_ she added silently.

But she tried not to focus on that when she was around Link, as spending time with him was both her only refuge and the only time when she could really plan. She wounded up recalling many details of their plans to Krystal, who now took a large interest in what their next moves were.

Sheik would be lying to herself if she told herself that she didn't find it very suspicious. But among Link's recovery, their future plans and the Tournament Finals, her suspicion of Krystal was the least of her concerns.

On the morning before the fight she surrounded herself with multiple heavy training bags. She looked from bag to bag. Then she closed her eyes, cleared her mind. . .

And was at the first one within half a second. She punched it high up into the air and kicked the second one up as well. She turned on her heels, jabbed another one several times before jabbing it a final time that also brought it up into the air. She turned around again, jumped, and spun around in midair, sending all three of the airborne bags higher.

She landed with a somersault and moved on to the fourth one. She elbowed it high at its top, then unfurled her chain and wrapped it around a fifth. She swung the fifth training bag into the fourth, causing that to be airborne as well, and dragged it through the air. It crashed into every single one, again reinforcing the fact that they were airborne, and then she pulled the chain off of the fifth.

She put away her chain as she dashed up to the sixth and final training bag. She landed a series of punches on it and then kicked it up into the air.

She spun on her heels and looked up at all of the training bags. She drew out her needles and thrust one at each bag, rapidly, not stopping to see if they had missed. She was sure that they hadn't. Finally she jumped up and met the training bag's height. Her arms were a blur as she landed a jab on each one. She flipped upwards and allowed the training bags to fall to the ground. She did three backflips and landed on her feet before each of the six bags fell down with a crash.

Her chest heaved up and down. Her eyes lingered on the aftermath of her handiwork. Then she stood up straight and took deep breaths in an attempt to make her mind just as clear as it had been before she started.

She assessed her surroundings with a controlled air. Still no one had come to the training area—

Except for Link.

Sheik's eyes widened. "Are you. . ."

"Officially out of the Infirmary?" He smiled. "Yup."

"That's great!" She found herself smiling as well. "Just make sure that you still take care of yourself, okay? That's the only way you'll make a full, complete recovery."

"Yeah, I know. But I can finish doing that on our way to Hyrule. In the meantime we really need to—"

"Appoint the Sage of Forest," she finished. "I know."

"Do you have any ideas?"

"That would work?" She sighed. "None."

"What about Peach? I mean, she already knows that you're Zelda."

"I don't think so. Peach is a monarch, just like me. She's already in charge of taking care of one country; I don't want to place her in charge of taking care of another."

"That's true." He placed his chin on a fist. "The Pokemon Trainer?"

She shook her head. "I've already told you, I don't think he'd be ready for that sort of responsibility."

"Well, if we're going off of responsibility, how about Samus?"

She stared at him. "Samus? As the Sage of Forest? No. I have a very, very strong feeling that she'll ask for something impossible in turn, just like Meta Knight."

Sheik looked down at the thought of the deal she'd made with him. Tomorrow, it was all or nothing.

She didn't know what she would do if it turned out to be nothing.

"You know Sheik, at first I was concerned for you," Link said. "But after seeing you do all of that to the training bags, I'm not as worried. It looks like you'll be able to hold your own against Snake."

"I'm not worried about being able to hold my own against him, I'm worried about being able to defeat him."

"Which is possible."

"That's what we both said about you and look what happened."

Link grimaced at the thought. "Yeah. But don't think about what might happen if you lose; think about what might happen if you win. It can't hurt to keep your head up."

Sheik mulled over the possibility. If she did win, Meta Knight would help them save Hyrule. They'd find the next Sage of Forest in no time and would depart to finish their quest for Hyrule once and for all.

And she, Link and the Six Sages would all prevail.

Link was right. It definitely didn't hurt to keep her head up.

"You're right," she said.

"Just keep on training," he said. "I'm going to arrange our departure the moment this Tournament is over. After that I'm going to go with Krystal rent horses for our journey. In the meantime both of us will try to think of a Forest Sage. Does that sound good?"

She nodded. "Farewell, Link." She embraced him. "And thank you."

"For what?"

Sheik meant to say_, for telling me to keep my head up_. What came out was, "Everything."

After that, Link and Sheik parted ways. She did everything she could to fine-tune her fighting and adjust to what she had seen of Snake during his and Link's Brawl as the sun rose to its peak. By the time that it came down, if she was honest with herself, she still wasn't sure that she would ultimately defeat Solid Snake.

But she did know that she could.

* * *

><p>In the evening, true to his word, Link found himself heading out of the Smash Mansion and through the City alongside Krystal.<p>

She stopped walking at one point. She looked a little uneasy. "Erm. . . Link?"

"Yes?"

"There's something I'd like to retrieve before we all head out to Hyrule. Do you mind if we . . . you know . . . go get it before we do our business with Twilight and the other horses?"

"I don't see why we can't."

She didn't look any more settled by his answer. If anything she looked more so.

He decided to change the topic. "So are you excited to see Hyrule?" he asked.

Krystal tilted her head. "But I thought your land needed to be saved or something. That is the point of our business, is it not?"

"It is," he said. "Sorry, I should have clarified. I meant, are you excited to see it once all of this is over?"

She shrugged. "Perhaps. It's true that I have heard a lot about it, among which that it's especially nice during the summer."

"Oh, it is," he said. "Castle Town is incredible. It's a very grand place with lots of activity. And that's not even mentioning Hyrule Castle itself."

"Really? How big is the place?"

"Well, it's impressive, to say the least," Link said. "There's this sprawling aisle that leads you to the throne room when you enter and this really elaborate chandelier and—"

He stopped himself and realized just how much he missed the place. His stomach curled into a knot.

That's why he and Zelda were going to save it.

He headed with Krystal into an alley. At the end he could see a flight of stairs leading into the basement of a building.

"Down there," she said. She took a deep breath. "Let's go."

Link followed her down the flight of stairs. She reached out the doorknob slowly and paused when her fingers were just an inch away from the metal.

An uneasy feeling stirred inside him when she abruptly grasped the doorknob and yanked it open, revealing darkness.

She stepped inside. "Come on."

He hesitated for a moment. He eyed her as he joined her.

"What?" she said.

Something wasn't right.

"Krystal." The way he said it was more of a demand than an address. "What is it that you're trying to get?"

Her face look contorted. The light from outside streamed into the room, illuminating the sheer guilt in her eyes. He could see tears welling up in both eyelids.

She closed her eyes, ultimately reining the tears in.

"Fox and I's safety."

They took off at the same time, but she exited the room before he could reach her and slammed it behind her.

He jiggled the doorknob anyways. "Krystal?" He gritted his teeth and tried again. "Krystal?"

He slammed a fist on the door. "Krystal, what the heck are you-"

A deep moan reached his pointed ears. His blood turned to ice.

Oh no.

He hoped they weren't what he thought they were.

Link spun on his feet and drew his sword. He saw the skeletal figures coming out of the dark and making their way toward him.

ReDeads.

_How are they in Smash City—_ He shook his head. He had to focus less on how the ReDeads got there and more on how to take care of them.

Link crept up to the closest one, maneuvered himself behind him and swung his sword from side to side. The ReDead fell, moaning in its wake.

One down.

He began advancing toward the other ones—

A screech like nails on a blackboard clawed its way into his core.

He tried to take another step closer toward the ReDeads, but couldn't. He tried again. Nothing.

It was just as he had thought. Crap.

He was unable to attack, run, _move_ as a ReDead went behind him and latched onto his back.

Suddenly Link found himself able to move. He thrashed this way and that, launching himself up and down with all the force he could muster—

His back felt weightless. Link went behind one—no, wait, two, the one he'd thrown off had collided into another one—ReDeads and shoved his sword through the both of their ribcages.

The weight of their dead bodies pulled his sword down. With a grunt, he yanked it out and backed away from the bodies. If they were anything like he remembered. . .

Sure enough, the remaining ReDeads lumbered over to the corpses and formed a circle around them. He still didn't know why exactly they gathered around their fallen, but quite frankly, he didn't want to.

When he was sure that they were too invested in whatever they were doing to know where he was, he silently walked to them and stabbed the first one in its chest.

He extracted his sword before he moved on to the next one.

Stab, extract, move on. Stab, extract, move on. Stab, extract move on stab extract move on stab extract move on stab extract move on—

And then the ReDeads were nothing but a pile of mottled brown bodies.

He released a plunging exhale and barely stifled a groan. Taking on a bunch of ReDeads on the first day out of the infirmary was not a good idea.

But he couldn't stop moving. He ran over to the door. He had to confront Krystal, find out why in the name of all Hyrule she would lock him in a room with a bunch of ReDeads.

He sank his sword deep into the door and sawed it to the side. Then he sawed downward until he reached the floor, and then did it again on the other side. When he again had finished his rugged cut, he kicked down the portion of the door thrice to let in an explosion of sunlight.

Link bent his head, just about to run through the newfound opening when he heard footsteps behind him.

And very near him.

He spun around just in time to see none other than Ganondorf step out of the shadows.

Oh no. Oh no.

Ganondorf was here, had summoned the ReDeads for him to fight, and Krystal had led him here which could only mean that Krystal was working with Ganondorf, and—

Link took two large, swift steps toward him before stopping himself.

As much as he'd love to put an end to Ganondorf then and there, he couldn't. One of their Sages had yet to be found, another was a traitor and Ganondorf was right in Smash City.

He had to warn Zelda.

He began walking backwards. He kept his eyes trained on Ganondorf, who seemed to be advancing toward him faster than he was getting away.

One chance to get away.

Link spun around and hurled himself at the door, refusing to relent for a second. But he could hear footsteps behind him, and that meant Ganondorf wasn't stopping either and by the Goddesses he really didn't like the way he couldn't see Ganondorf—

Something grabbed his throat behind and Link immediately felt his breath leave him. He thrust the handle of his sword backward, but couldn't feel it hit anything and before he knew it the Master Sword had been knocked from his grasp and his feet had departed from the ground.

He opened and closed and opened his mouth, because dang it he needed air, he couldn't breathe and his lungs were being crushed and he needed to get to her—

Link grimaced and pried at the hand to no effect. It couldn't end like this, not when she had no idea of the danger she was in. If Ganondorf wanted to get to her, it'd have to be over his dead body—

Which, he realized, could very well be the point.

He continued thrashing and fighting, but the longer he couldn't breathe, the weaker he became. Still, if he had to go out, then at least he'd go out fighting.

Which was why he somehow both felt peaceful and intense fear for her as the blackness came.

* * *

><p>She only let herself walk back into the room when she was sure that the fighting had stopped.<p>

Krystal fought down a gulp and stepped inside—

Link was on the ground, motionless.

She clamped a hand over her mouth and her eyes became wide. His skin looked much too pale for comfort.

She restrained her emotions as best as she could as she said, "Is he. . ."

"Yes." Ganondorf lazily rolled Link onto his back with his foot. "And it's about time, too."

Krystal was too stunned to speak. Not knowing what else to do, she looked down to the ground, unblinking. She barely noticed the drops of tears hitting the ground.

What had she done?

What had she done?

She'd never thought that it could come to this. . . Oh, what a fool she'd been. What had she expected it to come to?

And Sheik.

Oh no, Sheik.

She was going to be devastated.

"Good work, Krystal," Ganondorf said. His tone was almost kind. "You've done well."

She wanted to slap him. No, she most certainly hadn't.

"Now there's just one more thing I require. You simply must go back to the Smash Mansion."

Her head snapped up. She thrust as much hatred into one look as she could.

"No."

Ganondorf frowned. "Do repeat that."

"I said no," Krystal said. "What makes me think I'll actually help you again? I'm not going to let another death happen becaus-"

Pain struck at her like broadswords coming from all sides. She screamed and fell to the floor. Tears sprang in her eyes again and there felt like there was something being torn away from her and she just wanted it to stop, stop, _stop_—

Then it all went away.

Ganondorf spoke again once she'd had a moment to catch her breath. "That was number one. Two more and you'll be as lifeless as he is."

She got up to her knees. "Wh-Why?" she said. "Why's this so important that you'll resort to manipulating me to get what you want?"

"That's simple," he said. "Once, I had control over all of Hyrule. But then the Hero and the Princess showed up and took it from me. After that, the Princess sent the Hero back to his own time, thus undoing all of the events and erasing them from many peoples' memory, to stop me before I even got a chance to claim Hyrule. I was arrested and those worthless Sages unfairly sealed me in the Sacred Realm. But, even through all of this, I still had an advantage."

He walked up to her and knelt down in front of her. She tried not to shiver in the face of his red stare.

"I remembered."

Ganondorf rose back up when he saw the look of confusion on her face. "I remembered everything that transpired in the year that never was. So did the Princess and the Sages—we were both at the center of the events. Because of this, I remembered the oath that I had made as I fell; I swore that I would wreak vengeance upon their descendants. But," he placed a finger on his chin as though in thought, "why curse their descendants when I can simply wreak havoc upon the real ones?"

He clasped his hands behind my back. "Now, girl, you say that you don't wish to cause another death. But this wish is in vain. One way or another, someone else will die. But you get to choose whether it is the Princess, or if the one you hold close suffers."

Somehow, Krystal managed to chuckle.

"That's where you're wrong," she said. "Now I know that there's a barrier around the Smash Arena. You can't harm Fox nor Sheik."

Ganondorf just smiled.

"Can't I?"

Krystal's small victory dissolved into a steadily brewing horror. What did he mean? But he couldn't get past it, and that was why he needed her to do his dirty work, right? Even if he could, why did he tell her that she needed to do yet another job?

The way he continued smiling told her that he knew exactly why.


	23. Chapter 22: The Final Brawl

**A/N: I take it you guys weren't fond of that last chapter's ending. :P**

**Thanks to purestrongpoem, tswift1fan, InkWoven, Gray-Chan Fallen, and Pandora151 for reviewing!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 22: The Final Brawl<span>

"Today's the day, isn't it?"

Sheik finished the glass of water and set it down on the table. "Sure is."

"You're going to really show him what you're made of." Ike's smile only got bigger. "I can see it now: Sheik, the very first Super Smash Brothers All-Star."

"Oh, be quiet," Sheik said. Her command didn't stop her cheeks from reddening.

Ike laughed. He stood up and ruffled her blonde hair. "Well, good luck."

"Thanks," she said. Ike began walking away when she realized something. "Oh, Ike, also—have you seen Link today?"

He stopped and furrowed his eyebrows. "Now that you mention it, I haven't." Then he added when he saw the worried look on her face, "Don't worry, I'm sure he's around here somewhere."

"Yeah, you're right."

But one of the first things he would have done on this day was to make sure that she was ready for her match. She was positive of that.

So why wasn't he?

* * *

><p>Within no time, Sheik's final brawl was upon her. Attendees purchasing tickets for "Snake vs. Sheik" were in the lobby hours before it was even set to begin, and only when they were at last allowed to file into the stadium was she comfortable enough to make her way over to her room.<p>

She clamped her hands over her ears once she entered the room, assaulted by the sound of the roaring audience. She'd been sorely mistaken to think that it couldn't get any louder than it had on the day of her double header.

The day of the double header. . .

She and Link had been slated to fight together, and so they'd shared this room. . .

He'd suggested that they held hands. . .

That was one of the best choices she'd ever made.

She opened her eyes.

The room was empty. Hollow.

Sheik dug her palm into the wall to stabilize herself.

Where was he?

Maybe she was overreacting. . .

The sound of boots hitting the floor came closer.

She snapped her head up and looked over to the newcomer. "Li—"

It was Krystal.

Sheik blinked. "Oh. Hello." She tried not to sound too disappointed. "What brings you here?"

"I. . ." Krystal appeared to decide on what to say. "I just came here to wish you luck."

"Thank you."

Sheik looked toward the crowd. "Truth be told, whenever I pictured this day I thought that I would be so nervous that I'd be tripping over my feet. Or, at least, I'd need Link to reassure me that I'd do great. Because he usually does. But I actually feel calm about this match. I know that I've come a long way and become a much better fighter than I'd ever dreamed of becoming. I am the leader of the Seven Sages as well as the true ruler of Hyrule, and by the Goddesses, I know that win or lose, I'm going to do _great_."

She didn't realize that she was smiling until it began to lower.

"The problem is, why isn't he here? Why can't I tell him that? So now I'm—"

Krystal yelped. Sheik spun on her feet and saw her gripping her hand like a lifeline before ripping the glove off.

Gradually, her expression eased into confusion. She stared at her hand like she was expecting it to burst into flames at any moment.

Sheik took a step closer. "Krystal?"

The vixen wasn't paying her any attention. She just kept staring at her hand.

"It's—It's gone. . ." Krystal whispered. She turned her hand over. "But I don't understand, this isn't making sense—"

"I don't believe you're making sense either, Krystal," Sheik said. "What's going on? Why do you seem so—"

And then she realized something.

Link had told her that Krystal was accompanying him while he checked on Twilight.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Krystal," she said slowly, her voice low. "What. Happened."

Krystal looked like a deer caught in a trap.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the final round of the first annual Super Smash Brothers All-Star Tournament!"

She didn't take her eyes off of Krystal even when she heard the cheering.

"Well? Do you mind telling me where he is?"

"I. . . I. . ."

She vaguely heard the announcer beginning Snake's introduction.

"Krystal, if you don't tell me where Link is _right now_—" The cheering outside was too loud for her to continue.

"Look, I'll explain everything later," Krystal said once it had died down enough. She caught Sheik's eye. "I mean it, I'll tell you everything and leave nothing out. But for now you need to defeat Snake. You know what'll happen if you don't."

". . .of the Finalists, please welcome, the one and only, Sheik!"

Sheik still didn't budge.

"I promise."

"Whose side are you on, Krystal?"

"Yours."

Sheik raised her eyebrows. Krystal didn't budge.

"Go," she said. "They're going to be very suspicious if you take any longer."

Sheik knew that she was right. So without another word, she turned around and ran out as fast as she could.

She pushed out an exhale as she ran out. Link—What had Krystal—where was he?—Ganondorf—Ganondorf and Krystal—what had—

She stopped before she made it to the center of the arena. She stared at the floor with unblinking eyes.

It was all too much to take in.

Sudden even to herself, she jerked her head back up and squared her shoulders. She blinked enough to moisten her eyes again, and then narrowed them.

She could win this. But not without a clear mind.

So, as much as she hated to, she was going to have to file all of these newfound developments away.

Just for the time being.

When she'd relaxed enough, she began walking again—

"SHEIK!"

She flung her head over to the right and saw the one who was cheering louder than anyone else she'd known—a tan-skinned little girl with black hair, sitting next to a broad-shouldered young man ushering her to calm down—

Aliah and Matic.

Sheik's eyebrows shot up to the top of her face. Then she couldn't help but smile and wave right at Aliah. It was very nice to see the two of them again. She really hoped that she would do them proud.

She forced herself to look away from them and picked up her pace.

Soon she was standing at the center of the Arena, shaking hands with Snake.

"This tournament is mine," he said, just loud enough for her to hear.

"Are you sure about that?"

The smirk on his face didn't fall. But it didn't rise, either.

They stepped away from each other just as the announcer spoke again. "The setting shall be. . . Final Destination!"

Final Destination. It didn't take long for Sheik to completely recognize the setting.

That _was where Fox and Meta Knight fought in my first weeks here,_ she remembered as the white eclipsed the audience. And then she'd been pulled aside by Link, told that Ganondorf had risen once more. Funny how some things could end where they began.

She found herself on a purple-blue platform almost as big as the arena she left. All around her was blackness, with nothing on the hovering platform to keep her from falling straight in.

She looked at Snake and prepared herself.

_Here goes nothing._

"BRAWL!"

Sheik and Snake ran straight for each other. She raised her fist only to drop it and roll right around Snake. She pressed her palms on the ground and, with a burst of strength, used her legs to give a series of kicks to his back as she got up.

Then she felt his hands roughly grab her ankles—

And then she felt them sending her flying over the platform and into the void.

Her heart leapt in her throat and for an elongated moment, she froze as she fell down, down, down. . .

Then she unraveled her chain and flung it at the edge.

_Please catch on to something, please catch onto something, please catch onto something—_

It did.

Sheik put her full weight onto the chain and began climbing it like a rope. Within moments she could see the platform, and thus see what her chain had attached to—

A land mine, dug into the ground.

Sheik gritted her teeth. If she climbed up there, she'd be blown to pieces.

So she couldn't go up there.

She shimmed down the chain, careful to not move the chain so much that it set the land mine off, for it was a miracle that it had caught on to the mine without setting it off. Once she was down it far enough, she swung herself forward, then backward, forward, backward until she was akin to a pendulum.

Then, using mighty forward momentum, she leapt off of the chain just as the bomb exploded.

She reached out for the ledge and managed to grasp it despite the newfound ringing in her ears. She couched her chin to her chest, keeping her head low as fire combed the platform.

Gradually, gradually, the heat receded. She lifted her head once more and heaved herself back up onto the platform.

_Bang! _

_Bang! _

_Bang!_

She nearly jumped at the sounds and looked up. Shortly she found Snake up in the air, hanging onto a hover device and firing at her with a gun.

Sheik weighed her options. She obviously couldn't fight close-range, her chain was gone, and she doubted that her needles could do much good against this distance and the technology Snake possessed.

She didn't like those odds.

Snake fired again, and she dove instinctively. He shot again and again and again, with Sheik rolling away from each one.

How could she attack Snake?

She could barely even defend herself from him.

So how in the name of Hyrule was she supposed to defeat him?

She got herself to her feet and looked at Snake. He was quickly reloading, his blazing red eyes trained on her—

The realization came upon her a few seconds after she saw it.

Red eyes.

Snake didn't have red eyes.

But those infected with the Triforce of Power—

Sheik was running toward him before she even finished the thought. She didn't think; she just knew that she had to get it out of him and she had to get it out of him _fast_—

She ran, ran, ducking her head or maneuvering herself to the side whenever Snake fired at her, continued to run until she leapt right into the air toward Snake—

She hung in the air, praying, praying she wouldn't fall, praying that she'd make it—

Then she grabbed onto the device keeping Snake aloft.

It immediately swooped downward before rising back up. She lifted one foot onto the top, and then allowed the other to join it. She tightened her grip on the device. Her stomach seemed to drop from underneath her when the hover device swooped down again.

Sheik checked the distance between them and the platform; they were beginning to approach it.

She would have to have perfect timing. . .

She made herself pry a hand from the edge and continued to tighten the other one when Snake began swerving wildly. She punched the device with her free hand repeatedly, ignoring the growing ache in her knuckles as she slowly dented the metal.

When she found that she and Snake were only seconds away from being right above the platform, she smashed her foot into the dent.

Finally a section of the hover device broke apart, revealing several multicolored strings—they were . . . wires? If she remembered correctly?

Thankfully she didn't have to know much about wires to mess them up, now did she?

Sheik whipped out her needles, dug them into the wires, and ripped them apart.

Sparks jumped out at her, and subsequently she heard the system begin to die down just as they reached the platform—

She jumped down and landed roughly on her side. A newfound ache pulsed through her hip, making her grimace.

She heard the crash of metal, followed by a cry and then another impact—

Sheik scrambled up to her feet just in time to see Snake hit the ground, dangerously close to the edge. She ran straight at him as fast as she could—

He was already standing—

But she absolutely _had_ to remove the Triforce of Power from him.

She angled her body slightly at the last second and rammed her hip into his chest. The impact didn't make him fall, but it did startle him enough so that there was time for her to place her hand on his chest and immediately begin withdrawing the power from him.

Sheik grabbed his arm when he started struggling. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to take every hit, every punch—

"If I'm going down," Snake growled, "you're going down with me."

He forced his body toward the edge, thus forcing her to come along with him.

"No, Snake," Sheik said desperately. She dug her feet into the ground, but it was no use. "Come on, I know you're in there—"

And then they were falling.

Sheik closed her eyes and tried to focus only on drawing the Triforce out, not on the fact that they were falling, or that the air rushing at her face stung or that she didn't have her chain to help her back up—

The last of the Triforce flowed up out of his body.

Sheik removed her hands from him and stared at it with wide eyes.

That was definitely the Triforce of Power.

And the Triforce of Power could only be controlled by one person.

Too late she realized that she had dropped Snake. She looked down to see him with his eyes closed, his body limply descending.

Her throat tightened as she executed an upward flip. Oh Goddesses, Snake. . .

She flipped again and looked up at the platform. It seemed so far away. . .

Sheik propelled her body upward once more and prayed that she could make it back up—

"The winner is. . . SHEIK!"

Wait. . .

Huh?

Her fourth flip suddenly slowed down as though she were underwater. Then, gradually, Final Destination dissolved to reveal the Arena.

Sheik gently landed on her feet, her face frozen as she vaguely made out the crowd rising, like a ripple coursing through the sea.

She blinked. Then she blinked again, releasing an exhale as she did it.

Did she. . . Did she actually. . .

No. But-she'd been confident before, but that was before she'd faced him . . . There was no way she could have stood against him, no way that she could have DEFEATED him-

Yet here she was.

Sheik let her tense shoulders sink, a smile growing on her face. She'd done it. Snake hadn't been defeated before, but she'd still defeated the undefeatable—

If she was being honest with herself, it felt rather good.

Sheik shot her arm out into the air and waved vigorously. They only cheered more, and newfound energy rushed through her veins—

She felt like she'd just been punched.

This wasn't the adrenaline kind of energy.

It was a magical kind of energy.

The kind that she usually felt while she was tranforming.

She looked down at her hands, but it was too late. Golden light was already filling her vision.

"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present the very first Super Smash Brothers All-Star—"

Sheik projected her will—

She couldn't stop it.

She couldn't stop it, she couldn't stop it, _why wasn't it stopping_—

No no no no no NO—

And then, gradually, the golden light receded.

She looked down to see now her blue clothing, but a heavy royal dress. Her now-gloved hands reached out for her hair—

Brown.

She snapped her head upwards to see nearly everyone staring at her openmouthed and to hear collective gasps.

"Indeed," said a new announcer.

Except Zelda highly doubted that he was an announcer.

"Do look at your new Super Smash Brothers All-Star."

She spun right on her heels, searching for a way out, searching for Link—

And also searching for _him_.

"Please, do allow me to introduce—"

How'd he cause her to transform against her will? How'd he even get in through the barrier?

But somehow, he was here, and she had to find him.

She turned back around and searched all through the Arena—

"The one and only. . ."

Then she spotted him, at the very top of the bleachers, looking more confident and vile than ever.

"Princess Zelda!"

Ganondorf.


	24. Chapter 23: Arena Afire

**A/N: This is a pretty short chapter, but I also think it's one of the most intense in the story, so take that how you will. Still, to make up for the length, Chapter 24 should be up as well by the end of the week. **

**Merci beaucoup to InkWoven, Purestrongpoem, tswift1fan, Pandora151, KirbyKnight65, AnriMia24, and CartoonGurl201m for reviewing! Those things make writers happy.**

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><p><span>Chapter 23: Arena Afire<span>

For the very first time, the crowd was dead silent.

Zelda took a deep breath. Unconsciously her eyes settled on Aliah and Matic.

They were looking at her in sheer disbelief.

Ganondorf's deep laugh carried all throughout the area. "Princess Zelda," he said again. "The one who left her homeland so that she might become a Brawler, or maybe even a hero."

Her legs became stiff. She lifted her chin and hoped that her eyes didn't expose her as well.

"Has she become a Brawler? Yes. And a good one. But a hero?"

And it was then that his eyes rested squarely on her.

"Certainly not."

Her eyes darted to the exit. Oh, Goddesses, where was Link?

It was then that she accepted it. Link, wherever he was, was not currently in a position to help her, otherwise he would be facing Ganondorf by her side.

Something bad had happened to him, and Krystal knew about it.

"For a hero," continued Ganondorf, "would not abandon her country in its time of need, now would she?"

"I haven't left it," she whispered.

Then she squared her shoulders and gathered all of the bold authority she could muster. "I haven't left it. Even winning the Tournament was part of a plan to save Hyrule, save it from _you_."

"Oh, but my dear," he said, "how might you be able to save Hyrule if you can't save yourself?"

With that he lifted his palm into the air and closed his eyes. Before Zelda could react, a spear of fire launched from his palm and hit the ceiling. The fire immediately expanded and began ripping the ceiling apart.

Ganondorf sent another shot of fire straight at her as people began screaming. She got down and rolled out of the way, the ground where she'd been formerly standing upon bursting into flames. She stood back up and saw Ganondorf prepare another attack from the corner of her eye.

Zelda looked at the crowd. "All of you, run! Now! You're not safe here!"

All those who weren't sprinting away now were. She sighed in relief.

Now it was time to see what she could do about fighting Ganondorf.

She willed herself to transform as she began running—no luck. She'd have to use what she could find.

Fortunately, she knew exactly where she could get something useful.

Zelda dashed through the preparation room, then through the halls, and out the Arena doors, feeling heat following her the entire way. More and more screams could be heard, and she could feel the fire getting more and more intense when the heat began to make her sweat and when smoke wafted through her nose.

Once she was several feet away from the Arena and closer to the Mansion, she dared to look behind her—

The Arena was on fire. The entire thing, the tips of the cackling flames swiping against the cloudless blue sky. Here or there she could see a few Brawlers; Ike in particular seemed to be taking charge.

Zelda's throat constricted.

Then she turned around and ran straight for the Mansion.

She bolted up the stairs leading to the entryway, taking two steps at a time, threw her hip into the doors and stumbled inside. She ran left, left again, and then right, straight past the dormitories before taking another right—

There it was.

Zelda's heart jumped when she heard something heavy falling on the floor, followed by a flash of fiery light.

She forced herself not to whimper and opened the door to the armory.

She quickly scanned the room. On one wall hung several modern guns, lasers and bombs while on the other there were weapons she was far more familiar with, ranging from swords to bows, knives to maces.

She ran right for the swords, brought down a rapier, and unsheathed it just in time to spin around and block Ganondorf's strike.

"Careful, Princess," he said. "I would say that you only reacted just in time."

"Shut up," Zelda said.

She pulled her sword away from the lock and sidestepped when Ganondorf lunged. She came behind him and thrust her blade forward before Ganondorf spun around and blocked it. She swung her blade to the right, and then to the left, Ganondorf dodging both times but allowing her to advance at the same time.

"How'd you do it?" she demanded as she attacked again. "How in the name of the Goddesses did you manage to get past my barrier?"

"Simple," said Ganondorf. "I cursed one of your friends with the Triforce of Power and lifted it when she came back to the Smash Mansion today. I cursed your opponent with it, and while you were busy extracting it from him, your hold on the barrier weakened long enough for me to come through."

Zelda tilted her head. "That's rather—"

She cut herself off midsentence and feinted a lunge at Ganondorf. She spun right on her heels and ran straight for the exit from the armory. She had to find Krystal, she had to find Krystal—

She skidded to a halt when a sudden line of fire blocked her path.

Zelda turned around to see Ganondorf slowly advancing toward her, his sword in hand and his toothless smile much too large for comfort. With the fire simultaneously casting light and shadows on his face, he looked like an absolute demon.

"Why, my fair Princess." He shook his head slowly, as though ashamed of her. "I thought you were taught better than to run."

She didn't say anything, just held her sword out in front of her. She looked to the left, and then to the right.

Where was. . . Where was. . .

_No,_ she told herself. _Why am I still looking for him? He's obviously not here._

She looked back to the advancing King of Evil and gulped. With her legs as heavy as lead, she forced herself to take a step toward him, then another, then another until she was hurling herself at him, not letting herself think, not giving fear a chance to overcome her—

She jumped and brought her sword downward as she came back down. Ganondorf's sword met hers, then he used the lock to propel her behind him. She flipped and landed at her feet.

Zelda attacked him once more only to be met with the flat of his blade. She performed a strike again and received the same result.

Strike, block, strike, block, strike strike, block block. She became faster with every attack, but so did Ganondorf.

Zelda swept her sword at his head. He ducked, getting down to his knees, then he thrust his left foot straight up at her stomach. The sheer force sent her flying as she dropped her sword, and she landed on the floor with a jarring thud.

She grimaced and opened her eyes. Her swo—oh Goddesses, where was her sword?

It didn't take her long to find it. After a half-second her eyes fell on the sword, on the floor, behind an advancing Ganondorf.

She rolled to the right only to yelp when Ganondorf's sword stabbed the area where her head would have been. She rolled away and placed her hands behind her back, bringing her upper body up when she felt the tip of his sword lodge itself a bit underneath her chin—not enough to draw blood, but enough to let her know that it wasn't a good idea to try any sudden movements.

Her arms began to tremble, and she didn't think it was because they were supporting her weight.

Zelda bit her lip and closed her eyes. . .

Then she retracted her head and kicked the blade upward at the same time. She rolled out of the way, brought herself up to her feet and scrambled over to her blade. Within moments she'd grabbed it again, turned around and pointed at Ganondorf.

He furrowed his eyebrows. Then he gave an amused smile. "Well then. It appears that you do know how to handle yourself, Princess."

"Krystal," she said breathlessly. "You cursed Krystal, didn't you?"

"Correct. But really, I wouldn't be so much concerned for her as I would be for _him_."

She felt as though ice-cold water was trailing down her spine.

"What're you talking about?"

"I do not take you for a fool, Princess, so do me a favor and do not assume that I am one. I trust that you have at least partially figured it out."

Zelda gripped the handle until her knuckles were the whitest they'd ever been. "What did you do with Link?"

"Simple. I disposed of him."

She nearly dropped her blade. "Wha—"

"Your Hero is dead, Princess."

The world seemed to slow down. She blinked, again and again, attempting to make sense out of nonsense.

Link. . . dead. . .

And then she narrowed her eyes at Ganondorf.

"No."

Zelda lifted her sword back up again and advanced toward Ganondorf.

"He's not dead," she said. "You must have captured him or something, and you're just telling me that to stay away, or to catch me off-guard, or to leave me heartbroken. Whatever it is, I'm not buying it! Tell me the truth, or I will—"

"He _is_ telling the truth."

Zelda whirled around when she heard the newcomer's voice.

Krystal.


	25. Chapter 24: Awake

**A/N: Thanks to Purestrongpoem, That Creative One, InkWoven and Pandora151 for reviewing! **

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><p><span>Chapter 24: Awake<span>

Zelda furrowed her eyebrows. "Krystal? What're you—"

She looked like she wanted to cry. "I've been trying to find you, to tell you the truth. He's beaten me to it but it's the truth, Zelda, he died."

Zelda suddenly couldn't move. She just stared blankly at Krystal.

"No," she finally said. "But—But you have to be lying, you _have_ to—"

Except she didn't look like she was.

"No," she said again. "No no no no no—"

And then, slowly, her fingers loosened until the sword slipped from them. Zelda dropped to her knees, only vaguely conscious of the ringing clang as a result of the sword's fall and the roaring fire and the swirling smoke and Ganondorf's triumphant smile—

Link.

"No." The word was barely more than a breath.

"It's true," Krystal continued. "I saw the body, I'm so sorry. He died and—"

Krystal looked down, exposing her flattened ears. "He died because of me."

She understood. Krystal had led him to Ganondorf.

And that'd killed him.

She knew that Ganondorf had cursed her. She knew that Krystal had been forced to do it. She knew that if Krystal could undo it all, she would. Which was why she wasn't blaming her.

No. She blamed Ganondorf.

"Oh, don't look so sad," he said. "It's not as though you needed him to save you anymore."

"Maybe not for that purpose," Zelda said. "But I still need him."

She picked up her sword again and slowly rose to her feet.

"And now, I also need something else. I need to make sure that his death wasn't in vain!"

Then she charged straight at him, running as fast as she could. She swiped her blade furiously at him, her rage only growing as she slashed and slashed—

Finally she jumped and, with a burst of magic, kicked him right in the stomach. The impact sent him stumbling back a few steps, giving Zelda an opportunity to come at him again, her sword held over her head. She began to bring it down on him—

And then Ganondorf caught her wrist and gave it a hard twist.

Zelda screamed in pain and dropped her sword. She felt Ganondorf roughly grab her shoulder and subsequently slam her into a wall in spite of her struggling.

As she tried to fight him off, she met Krystal's eyes. She looked like she wanted to help, but she also looked like she was scared.

"Run," Zelda gasped. "Krystal, run!"

For a long moment, she didn't move. Then Krystal nodded and sprinted away. Thankfully, Ganondorf didn't seem interested in pursuing her.

She swung her free arm at his face. It connected, but that didn't release his hold. He simply dug his fingers into her shoulder, making her face twist in pain.

"It's futile, Princess." He let go of her shoulder only to wrap his fingers around her throat and bring her face to his level. His face was so close to hers that she couldn't look anywhere save straight into his yellow eyes.

"I am Ganondorf. I am the Bearer of the Triforce of Power. I am the King of Evil. I am the one who brought Hyrule to its knees, _twice_."

Ganondorf let go of Zelda and let her drop to the ground in a heap. She took in a very deep breath only to cough upon inhaling smoke. When she managed to take in her surroundings once more, he'd taken a few steps back from her.

"And I am the one who killed the legendary Hero of Time. If not even the Hero could defeat me, then what makes you think you can?"

At that, a rosy pink hue began to surround her and slowly solidify. It didn't take long for her to see what was happening.

A crystal was beginning to form—

Just like last time—

The last time he'd captured her—

But it wouldn't happen again.

Zelda looked up at him and looked at him in the eye once more.

"Perhaps it's because we already defeated you once."

She stood up. "By the power of Nayru—"

She then spun around, causing a blue crystal to surround her temporarily. The pink then disappeared.

Zelda then drew her arm back. "By the power of Din—"

She whipped it toward Ganondorf and sent a large ball of fire straight at him. He took a step back, some of his skin burned by her spell.

"By the power of Farore—"

She disappeared only to reappear behind Ganondorf in a flash of magical energy.

_Please, great Goddesses. . . lend me your strength._

For a moment, nothing happened. Then a great but familiar power rushed up her veins.

Now all she needed to do was give it life.

A great, golden bow began to materialize in her hands. "And by the power of the Goddesses three—"

An arrow then appeared as well, so bright that she almost had to close her eyes—

"I _will_ bring peace to Hyrule."

With that, Zelda drew the arrow back and released it at Ganondorf.

The Light Arrow sailed through the air. Ganondorf moved to dodge it, but he wasn't fast enough. The Light Arrow pierced his abdomen, causing him to stumble and release a roar of pain.

He placed one of his hands on the wall as he plucked out the arrow with the other. No blood was visible, but light shone through his abdomen like an inner fire.

Ganondorf looked up at Zelda with an ever-so-wicked smile on his face. His eyes gleamed with a new, understanding dawn—a dawn that she did not like the looks of.

He chuckled. "Impressive." He then stood up straight. "I eagerly anticipate the time when we next meet again."

And then, with a burst of magical energy, he was gone, leaving her alone with the burning flames.

* * *

><p>Within moments, Zelda had called upon Farore's power once more and teleported away from the burning Smash Mansion. Now she was outside, watching helplessly as the fire consumed the building.<p>

She put her arms in front of her chest, each hand gripping the opposite elbow. Vaguely, in the distance, she could hear approaching sirens that heralded the arrival of those that could help extinguish the fires. In the meantime, the fire continued to send sparks zigzagging up toward the darkening sky, and thanks to the clouds of smoke she could hear several of the Brawlers and Tournament attendees coughing.

The Smash Mansion was gone. The place where she'd worked so hard to become the fighter she was now, the place she'd met Ike and Peach and all the other Brawlers, the place she had begun calling home—

Gone.

She took a deep breath through her mouth and turned her head away.

There was no place to run to now, especially since she had been exposed. She had no idea how people thought of her now. Several Brawlers were now missing, and even if they weren't. . .

If she turned to anyone for help, would they help her? If they did, how long would it be before Ganondorf hurt them?

Zelda didn't want to take that kind of risk. He'd already harmed Krystal, killed Link—

She gasped as though she'd been hit. The memory pierced her chest like a white-hot sword. Something thick and lumpy clogged her throat, and something sharp pricked the back of her eyelids.

Zelda liked to be strong. Much of her work over the years had been devoted to making her just that, and now there were few who saw her as weak. But. . . sometimes, there simply came a point where she was strong for too long.

Slowly, slowly, she lowered herself until she was sitting on the ground. She pulled her legs to her chest, closing any inch of space between them, and buried her head into her knees.

Then she finally allowed herself to cry.

* * *

><p>Gradually, the surroundings came into focus.<p>

The blackness of the eyelids parted, minimally at first, and then they slowly opened. The walls were made entirely of stone, and the minimal light that spilled into the room came through a small, barred window around the top of an iron-bound door.

This place seemed familiar. . .

No, wait, it _was_ familiar.

The Hyrule Castle dungeon.

Suddenly he became fully alert and launched himself up into a sitting position. He tried to calm his suddenly racing heart when he realized that the cell door was very likely locked.

But how'd he gotten here? The last thing he remembered was his encounter with Ganondorf—

Ganondorf.

Of course he'd end up here as a result.

Link stood up and took another look around the cell. His eyes lingered on the door.

"First things first," he muttered to himself. "Let's get out of here."


	26. Chapter 25: Forest

**A/N: Thanks to InkWoven, Purestrongpoem, CartoonGurl201m, AnriMia24, Gray-Chan Fallen, Pandora151, Seth Darkcloud, tswift1fan, and Legionary Prime for reviewing!**

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><p><span>Chapter 25: Forest<span>

"Come—"

He slammed his body against the door—

"On—"

He did it again—

"Already."

When Link did it once more, he didn't bother to detach himself from the door for a second. He simply remained there, out of breath. He lifted his head slightly and turned it to survey his cell in the chances of finding anything that could be useful in helping him escape, but like the last couple hundred times he'd checked, there was nothing but stone.

Finally he resigned himself to feebly touching his fist to the wall. "Crap."

This wasn't good. At all. Ganondorf was out there in Smash City, Krystal was a traitor, Zelda was likely extremely worried about him, and here he was, trapped in the Hyrule Castle dungeon, with no idea how he was supposed to get out. Honestly, at the rate this was going—

"Link?"

Link's head jerked upward. He looked from side to side. Did he really just hear—

"Psst. Link."

He turned around to see a quite familiar little blue fairy slipping in through the barred window.

"Navi," he said in disbelief. "Is that—" he sighed and lowered his voice. "I'm glad to see you here."

"As am I," Navi said as she flew over to him. "I flew over to find you because I forgot to tell you something, but when I did I saw you lying on the ground at Ganondorf's feet. He made it look like you were dead when he defeated you. Krystal bought it, but I didn't, especially after he teleported away with you. So I flew over to Hyrule Castle as fast as I could."

"What about Zelda? How is she?"

"I don't know. But if what he told Krystal is anything to go by, she probably thinks that you're dead."

Link clenched his hand into a fist. If that was true, then that would mean that Ganondorf was causing her to suffer yet again.

"That settles it, then," he said. "The sooner I can get out of here, the sooner she'll see I'm alive."

He took a couple of steps away from the door and analyzed it with a keen eye. "The question is, how?"

Bare skeletons of ideas came to mind only to be buried when he deemed them implausible. Then he got an idea.

Link looked over to the fairy again. "Navi, you got in here undetected, right? See if you can continue to be undetected."

"What do you mean?"

"You're small enough to get out of this cell, so go out there and just perform a reconnaissance. Report back to me when you're finished. It's not exactly a plan, but then we'll be able to find out exactly what we're dealing with, and maybe even use something to our advantage. Then a proper plan can be formed."

"But—But what if there are guards?"

"Oh, dear Goddesses above—honestly, I'm the Hero of Time. What's Ganondorf going to do, just leave me unguarded?"

Link then sighed and offered Navi a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I trust you. You can do it."

Navi didn't respond for a second. Then she fluttered over to the window as Link gave a silent thank you.

Before she reached it, she stopped for a moment. "But. . . What do you intend to do about Zelda?"

He furrowed his eyebrows. What sort of question was that? "I intend to get back to her."

"No, I meant about—well, it's as I said. She probably thinks you're gone. After this, do you want me to go back to her and inform her that you're alive?"

He was shaking his head before she even finished. "No." And then, just as Navi started to say something in protest, "Because I want to personally see her face when she sees me."

* * *

><p>The forest was one of the best places Zelda thought of to go, no matter how painful it might be.<p>

She stepped deliberately, noticing how the yearning sunrise spread its newborn light across the treetops. She could hear the rushing of the river, its sound becoming louder and louder the closer she drew to it.

Once, she'd come here with him, after both of their victories, watched over by a starry sky and feeling freer than she had been in months. Now, she'd come here with her face shrouded by a mottled cloak, accompanied by nothing save the milk she held in her hands.

She'd remembered how he'd said that there was a place that served excellent milk, and then she'd remembered how happy he'd looked when he drank it. She'd never tried it, so, keeping a low profile, she'd gone into the restaurant for the second time and bought a simple milk bottle.

She didn't regret the purchase in the slightest. She felt a little bit closer to him now.

Zelda sat down on a log and lowered her hood. She gave the milk bottle a lingering glance before opening it and lifting it to her lips. She opened her eyes after she'd taken the first swallow. She'd never seen how one bottle of milk could be too different from another, but Link was right. This milk was rather good.

She began drinking again and continued to consume the white liquid until the last drop was gone. She looked back down to the milk bottle. Instead of being filled with the drink, it was nothing but a hollow glass shell. Now that it was gone, she felt as hollow as the bottle itself.

A twig snapped.

Zelda raised her head, suddenly alert.

She set the milk bottle down and yanked her hood back up. She looked all around, trying to find where exactly this intruder was all the while readying herself for battle—

"Zelda?"

Her heart skipped a beat. She whirled around, prepared to attack—

Only to lower it when she saw the newcomer. "Peach?"

Peach smiled. "Hello, Princess."

Zelda relaxed and sat back down. She lowered her hood once more.

"I've been trying to find you for quite some time, Zelda," she said. She walked closer to her. "After—Ganondorf, is that his name?—infiltrated the Smash Arena, I've been wondering what you have been planning to do next. Then you were nowhere to be found in the aftermath, so I was worried. But now I've found you, so. . . what do you plan to do next?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea," she said quietly.

Peach sat down next to her and looked at her with concern. "But there must be something you can do, right? I mean, Hyrule needs you—"

"Except I have no idea what I can do for Hyrule." Zelda looked up at her and met her eyes. "I was unable to find all the new Sages, so I can't seal Ganondorf back in the Sacred Realm, and Link is dead, so—"

"Wait, Link is _dead_?" Peach's eyes were the widest she'd ever seen them.

She nodded. "I refused to believe it at first, but then there was reason to. And now, with him gone, I don't know if I can ever physically defeat him. I managed held my own against him yesterday, yes, but it was with luck and the power of the Goddesses in the form of a Light Arrow."

Zelda clasped her hands in front of her and looked down on them sadly. "Ganondorf is one of the most powerful men in the world. With Link gone, I honestly don't know how I'll be able to triumph over him next time."

"But Zelda, you're one of the most powerful women in the world."

She didn't move her head, but her eyes flickered up to see the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, who reached out and placed a gloved hand on Zelda's.

"You're one of the best Brawlers around. You even managed to defeat Snake! He may hold the Triforce of Power, but you hold the Triforce of Wisdom. He may be the King of Evil, but you're the leader of the Seven Sages. He may have taken over Hyrule, but you have the power of the Goddesses on your side. I honestly don't see why you're degrading yourself so much, because if there's anyone who can defeat Ganondorf, it's you."

She considered her words. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that it was true. Zelda had wondered how she wouldn't be able to defeat Ganondorf before, but that was while Link was still alive. Now. . . well, maybe Peach was right. Maybe it was still possible, even with Link gone.

If Link were seeing her right now, what would he think?

She knew what he would think.

Zelda raised her head and looked at Peach.

Then it hit her.

Zelda studied her: her long blonde hair, her little crown placed at the top of her head, and the way she sat so regally. "It was always you, wasn't it?"

Peach tilted her head. "It was . . . always me?"

"I'd always told myself that it couldn't be, that it would give you far too much responsibility." She stood up and looked around the forest as though she were seeing one for the first time. How fitting for it to be the place where it was about to happen. "But now. . ."

Zelda turned to face her and said quietly, "It was always you."

And then Peach understood. She nodded before lowering her head. "Do it."

Zelda took a deep breath.

Then she placed her hand on Peach's head and allowed the power of the Forest Sage to flow down her arm and into Peach's body.

She detached her hand. Peach subsequently gasped and placed a hand on the log to steady herself.

Zelda took a deep breath.

Ike, the Sage of Fire.

Pit, the Sage of Light.

Marth, the Sage of Spirit.

Meta Knight, the Sage of Shadow.

Krystal, the Sage of Water.

Peach, the Sage of Forest.

And herself, the Princess of Hyrule and the leader of the Sages.

Each of the Sages had now been ordained.

"So now all we need to do is gather the Sages," she said. "And then . . . and then it'll be time to—"

"Zelda!"

She looked quizzically at Peach, and then realized a second later that that wasn't her voice.

She turned around to see none other than Navi speeding toward her at the speed of light.

Zelda took a step back. "Navi, what—"

Suddenly she remembered the last time she'd seen the fairy.

The last time she'd seen Navi had also been the last time she'd seen Link.

Which meant—

"Hey! Zelda! Listen!" Navi said. "Listen, this is urgent, Link's alive!"

All of a sudden Peach was filled with energy once more. She sat up straight and gave Navi all of her attention. "Wait, what?"

Zelda could only stare at Navi. "But . . . how. . . Krystal said—" She looked around wildly, as if looking for a way out.

Or looking for a way for Navi's words to be true.

"Ganondorf only made it look like he was dead," Navi explained rapidly. "I'm not entirely sure why he did it, but I knew that he had to be trickier than that, so I flew over to Hyrule Castle and . . . and . . . at first he wouldn't. . . he wanted to see your face. . . but. . . it failed, it failed but he's alive!"

Did she dare to believe it?

Did she?

Could she?

In the back of her brain, a light appeared, small at first, but then it grew and grew and grew until it was burning bright and there was a broad smile on her face.

"He's actually alive?" Zelda asked. She already knew the answer, though. Tears pricked her eyes. "He's actually. . ."

She could see him again. By the Goddesses, she could see him again!

Link, the Hero of Time, a top-notch Brawler, the one who loved milk and the one she trusted more than anyone else—

Alive.

But. . .

He wasn't here.

Maybe he was alive, but that didn't mean he was okay.

Zelda's smile slowly fell as the gravity of the situation became clear. Her eyes hardened. "Tell me what happened."


	27. Chapter 26: The Message

**A/N: The climax is fast-approaching, guys! I'm so excited. :D**

**Thanks to Pandora151, InkWoven, Purestrongpoem, tswift1fan and AnriMia24! Seriously, your feedback is very, very appreciated. ^.^**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 26: The Message<span>

"Are you ready, Link?"

"Of course."

Both of them became silent when they finally heard nearing footsteps.

Navi had managed to perform a thorough check of the hall outside and told him everything. With that information they'd formed a plan, and now they were behind the door, about to set it in motion.

If all went well, he would be out of Hyrule Castle by the end of the hour.

They came closer, closer, and then they were just out the door. Link hardly dared to breathe when he heard a key entering the lock.

The door creaked as it opened. Light spilled onto the stone floor, and within the light the shadow of a muscular figure holding a tray. The shadow bent down to place it on the floor—

Link grabbed the end of the door and rammed it into the guard as hard as he could. The guard subsequently fell to the ground, dropping something heavy in the process.

A spear, just as Navi had said it would be.

He came around to the other side and picked up the dropped spear. Immediately the large moblins saw him and charged. Link simply rammed the end of the spear at the underside of one's jaw, sending its head dangerously back and causing it to crumple to the floor.

He then turned and slammed it into another's chest. He rotated the spear so that the head was in front of him and slashed across a moblin's chest. He ducked from the thrust of another spear and rose up again just in time to stab a moblin in the chest. This caused him to coincidentally also stab a moblin that was behind him, taking out two guards with one stab.

Only two more to take out, if Navi was correct. He impaled a wounded moblin's abdomen and yanked the spear out just in time to block the last one's strike. He maneuvered himself behind it and hit its head with the blunt end. He did it twice more before it finally crumpled.

Link looked around. Sure enough, there were five moblins that were either dead or unconscious—the four that had been guarding him, and the one that had come to give him food.

"All right," he said. "Let's go."

He stepped over the fallen moblins, into the hall, and broke into a sprint.

He'd taken off so fast that it took Navi a few seconds to catch up with him. "You know," she said, "there are more creative methods than the old 'get-behind-the-door-and-ambush-the-guard' trick."

Link chuckled. "I'll stop using that trick when it stops working."

A moblin up ahead turned and made a guttural cry when he saw Link. He ran his spear through its stomach, pulled it out, and continued running without bothering to see the aftermath.

They came to a fork in the hall. "This way?" Link asked Navi, pointing to the right. Navi bobbed slightly in what Link decided was the closest thing to a nod she could manage, and in turn he ran to the right.

Link and Navi were greeted by moblins. Link skidded to a halt and aimed his spear at them just in time to stab one in the shoulder. He then slashed across the others chest and ran away from them before he could be impeded further.

"So, the Master Sword?"

"Not far from the dungeon exit, last I checked."

He passed by cell after cell after cell, stopping only to grab a moblin and slam him against the wall. Then he ran again, ignoring the growing sweat on his forehead.

"Just a little more," Navi said as they took a left. "No more turns. Just straight ahead and—"

"And then I'll have reached the exit," finished Link.

So, just as Navi directed, he went straight ahead in spite of the moblins. He tried to only dedicate a moment to stabbing them before moving on, but with a clunky spear, a weapon he was a little unfamiliar with, that was nearly impossible. He couldn't wait until he had his Master Sword back.

And if the large door up ahead at the top of a staircase was any indication, he would have it back in his hands soon.

Link pushed himself even harder than he had all this time. He was at the staircase at a second and then he was taking two steps at a time and then he was tearing the door open—

And then he saw bars blocking his way.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "What in the—" He blinked like he was trying to dispell an illusion, but the bars stayed.

"What are _those _doing here?" Navi nearly yelled. "Link, I promise, I don't remember those being there, in fact, they weren't, I'm certain!"

"So am I," he said. He reached out a hand to touch the bars—

And then he pulled it back after being stung with magical energy. He grimaced—

Link felt like he'd been punched.

He _had _seen them before.

Once, long ago, during the lost seven years. . .

Link stood still for a moment that carried on for an eternity. Then he turned to Navi.

"We'll have to forget what I said about seeing the look on Zelda's face."

"What—"

"You have to go, tell her not to come here."

"Link, I don't understand—"

"Do you see this?" He gestured to the bars. "It's also a magical forcefield, the same magical forcefield that Ganondorf put all around his castle after I defeated him and rescued Zelda. Only Zelda was able to lift it, and if it's anything like the previous ones, then there's only one person who can lift it."

Navi then understood. "Ganondorf wants her to come here. . . This doesn't make sense, why would he tell her that you were dead, therefore keep her away from here, only to draw her here?"

Suddenly they were able to hear footsteps. The sound was small, but growing closer.

"Moblins are coming—there isn't much time," Link muttered. He looked straight at Navi. "Goddesses know why he did, but the point is, you need to go, now. Find her, tell her she can't come. I'll find another way to get out of here."

"Link, there's no way she'll listen—"

"Just try! Ganondorf already got me, I'm not letting him get her, too! Not again!"

Navi couldn't respond for a moment. At last, she sighed.

"Listen, you'd better keep your word and find another way."

Then she turned and took off like an arrow being shot from a bow.

* * *

><p>Zelda was quiet as she let Navi tell the full story. She heard about everything, from how Navi discovered Link's true state to when she was forced to abandon him.<p>

"Do you see?" Navi said. "You can't go to Hyrule Castle. You just can't. Ganondorf still wants you."

"But I will."

"Zelda, I expressly came all the way here to inform you that—"

"I know," Zelda said simply. She began walking toward Smash City once more, and sensed Peach and Navi joining her. "And I greatly appreciate your effort, and for telling me the truth. But I'm going over to Hyrule Castle."

Navi flew over to her side. "Link said that—"

She stopped and whirled to face the fairy with a look that could incinerate her. "I know what he said, but just this once, I'm not listening to him! I lost him once; I'm not losing him again."

She began walking through the forest once more. She almost didn't notice her own quickened pace.

"Even if Link's escaped, I'll still need to go," she said. "Link and I will need to fight Ganondorf until we've weakened him enough that the Sages and I can intervene and seal him in the Sacred Realm. This confrontation is inevitable."

"So that means that we'll need to gather the other Sages," Peach said. "But it could take a while to find all of the others. . ."

She was right. Smash City was a large place. Going around trying to locate the other Sages could certainly prove to be a problem, especially since that it was imperative that she left for Hyrule straightaway.

Zelda bit her lip and racked her brain for an idea, one that could possibly be solved by magic—

It didn't take her long to think of something. She gave the milk bottle a glance before placing a finger on the top and imbuing it with magic.

She offered the milk bottle to Peach. "Take this. Only open it once you have gathered all of the Sages. Once it's open, it'll transport you directly to me."

She turned her attention to Navi. "You should probably go with her. After the events at the Arena, the Brawlers have been scattered. They need to be found as soon as possible."

"But you'll be all alone," Navi protested.

"I know. But the sooner you manage to find the Sages, the sooner I won't. Okay?"

"I . . . okay."

Zelda released a shaky exhale. "I'll need to find proper attire; I don't know if I can fare well fighting in this gown any longer. Then I'll find Twilight and head out."

"But Hyrule's far from here," Navi pointed out. "How do you expect to reach it quickly on horseback?"

"Teleportation," Zelda said simply. "Of course, magic can only take one so far, and sometimes it can be exhausting. I'll take Twilight so we can cover ground during these rest periods. I never dared to use this power during my journey here for fear of a bystander seeing me suddenly appear or disappear, but now time is of the essence. With luck, I could reach the Castle Town by sundown."

"So this could be all over by tonight," said Peach as the outskirts of the forest came into view.

The weight of what Peach was saying stopped her in her tracks. It was months ago that she'd come here to become a Brawler. It was months ago that Navi had come to Link and her to inform her of Ganondorf's return. It was months ago that the Goddesses had bequeathed her with the power to ordain new Sages.

Yet it all seemed like it had all transpired yesterday.

"Indeed."

Zelda turned around and looked at Navi, the loyal fairy who'd been with her and Link from the beginning and would be until the very end. Then she looked at Peach, a strong and wise friend who'd played a major part in giving her purpose once more.

A small smile appeared on her face. "Both of you are some of the greatest friends I've ever had, do you know that?"

Zelda turned around and drew her hood up back again. "Thank you, both of you. And good luck."

Then she walked out to Smash City without a look back.

* * *

><p>When he was sure that it was all over, Ganondorf strode out to the entryway to the dungeon and looked down. There laid the fallen Hero, as undignified as accidentally spilt blood.<p>

He had put up a worthwhile fight, Ganondorf would give him that. But after much fighting, the moblins' sheer numbers had overwhelmed him.

"Put him in a different cell," Ganondorf said. Immediately they set out to do as he had commanded. "And restrain him this time—if my plan is to work, then a stunt like this cannot happen again and the one who allows it to happen again shall have his head shoved onto a stick, do you understand?"

Many of them nodded or grunted in agreement, leaving him to wonder how many of those lumbering oafs actually understood what sort of positions they were in.

Ganondorf turned around and walked away. Now to set up the next part of the plan.

He aimed to obtain two things—revenge, and the other two pieces of the Triforce. In terms of revenge, his plan had revolved around one simple fact; in order to achieve the full extent of it, he must not simply kill them—first he had to make them suffer. So he'd taken the Hero and claimed his death to the Princess so he could watch her break, slowly, piece by piece until she was nothing. Then he would have captured and killed her and informed the Hero of her murder. He'd seriously considered bringing him her head, as a nice touch. Then, when the Hero knew that she was dead, that he'd failed to protect her, Ganondorf would have slain him as well.

But he'd made a grievous error.

Ganondorf had underestimated the Princess.

Not only had he failed to capture her, but, as the burn in his abdomen painfully reminded him, she had even managed to wound him. For a moment, he was almost concerned that he wouldn't be able to kill her.

Then, there and then, in the heat of battle, an idea had come to him.

Let that pesky fairy go to the Princess. Let her discover that the Hero was alive. Let her come straight to Hyrule Castle.

Ganondorf's wide smile exposed his teeth. Then he threw his head back and laughed.

For when she did, she would not fight him.

She would simply not live to fight him.

If the Princess had thought that battling Solid Snake had been difficult, then she would not survive the battle with her next opponent.

* * *

><p>"It's been a while, hasn't it, Twilight?"<p>

Zelda led the black horse out of her stall. Together they came out of the musty, dimly-lit stables and out into the wide open city. She blinked the light away when it stabbed her eyes.

She placed a hand on the horse's neck, placed a foot on the foothold, and then hoisted herself up onto the saddle. She made herself comfortable, then grabbed ahold of the reigns.

Zelda closed her eyes and concentrated on taking deep breaths. In, out. In, out.

This was it.

Time to say farewell to Smash City, for that chapter of her life was over.

Time to ride back to Hyrule.

Time to defeat Ganondorf once and for all.

Time to reunite with Link.

Time to fight for all that she loved.

Zelda's eyes opened. She snapped the reigns.

"Let's go, Twilight!"


	28. Chapter 27: Back to Hyrule

**A/N: Thank you Inkwoven, tswift1fan, Purestrongpoem, LunaStarWolf, Pandora151, AnriMia24, Blacktear97, and momobeann for reviewing!**

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><p><span>Chapter 27: Back to Hyrule<span>

Zelda rode on and on.

She passed by trees and cities and mountains, rocking back and forth on the mare. Twilight's midnight-colored pelt, once so sleek and groomed, harbored a newfound collection of dirt and sweat. Often she looked just as exhausted as Zelda felt—teleporting miles at a time was no small feat and left her dizzy and breathless. She wished to rest longer whenever they took a small break, but with Link potentially being in trouble and the fate of Hyrule in the balance, that couldn't be allowed.

She kept her mind as clear as possible, never bothering to pay a great deal of her attention to her surroundings. That was, until her surroundings began to darken suddenly.

Zelda looked up—

The once blue sky looked more like dark smoke.

That was no natural weather, especially when it wasn't even supposed to be sundown. In fact, this was almost exactly how the sky had looked like the last time Ganondorf had taken control over Hyrule . . .

She was getting close.

Feeling well enough to do it once more, Zelda closed her eyes, willed herself four miles forward and felt herself reappear there. She yanked herself back up on the horse when she felt herself slipping off.

Her eyes fluttered shut. She tilted her head back and panted. The sound of Twilight's hooves against the ground flowed in and out of her ears. When she could hear them properly, she lowered her head again and opened her eyes—

And saw multiple buildings poking out of the ground, with a tall castle among them.

"Castle Town," Zelda said, the words barely being more than a breath.

Her eyes lingered on the town as several memories, both childhood and recent, floated to the surface. Then her stomach tightened into a knot. She looked down at Twilight's head and gave her a kick. "Faster, faster," she muttered.

Sure enough, Twilight increased her pace, and soon they were shooting straight into Hyrule capital.

A few minutes later, Twilight galloped through the open Castle Town gate and into the streets. Zelda swept her eyes all around; Castle Town wasn't the place she'd left it. The Castle Town she remembered had quaint but dignified buildings, with flat roofs and steepled roofs, with wide streets in between and a fountain or two spurting crystalline water, inviting several residents to drop rupees as they wished. Hylians would roam around, perhaps purchasing an item or two from the local shop or attempting to keep rambunctious children in control.

Now it was nothing but a faint shadow of the town. Some of the buildings were fortunately still standing; others buildings weren't as fortunate and had utterly collapsed. Rubble was strewn all about the deserted streets, and a nearby fountain was empty and had a large crack ripping through its base.

Her throat tightened. She hoped that the Hylians had managed to flee. If they had, where were they now? How was she supposed to make a kingdom of ruin back into a kingdom of prosperity?

She didn't know.

Zelda took a shaky breath. _One thing at a time,_ she told herself.

She set her eyes back on Hyrule Castle and silently urged Twilight to go even faster.

They raced through the rest of the town. They turned onto the path to the castle, went through the castle gate, and followed the rest of the path all the way up to the entrance of her home.

Zelda pulled the reins and looked up at the looming castle. Unlike Castle Town, Hyrule Castle itself hadn't changed much. It was still the same gray stone structure, with a path to the courtyard snaking around the side of the castle and the wooden drawbridge laid out across the moat—

The drawbridge was already lowered.

Ganondorf _really_ wanted her to come in, didn't he?

She took a deep breath. "Let's go."

Then Twilight galloped over the drawbridge and into the castle walls.

Zelda slowed Twilight once more after their entry. Just a little further ahead were the heavy, iron-ringed doors with intricate Hylian symbols on it.

The castle did have one thing in common with Castle Town, Zelda decided. Both felt hollow and empty without its inhabitants.

Zelda slid off of Twilight and jumped onto the cobblestone ground. Her hand instinctively bolted to her side. She relaxed a little when she felt the cold chain links underneath her fingers.

She walked over to the mare's front and allowed her hand to rest on Twilight's face. She ran it across the bridge all the way down to its nose, where her contented breath warned Zelda's hand.

The Princess smiled. "Thank you for what you've done. You've sure worked hard to get me here."

She wrapped her arms around Twilight's neck and buried her face into her mane. "I'll see you again soon, I promise. Then you'll be able to have all the apples you want, all right?"

Twilight whinnied softly. Zelda giggled, and then detached herself from the mare.

She turned toward the castle doors. Her stomach suddenly filled with lead, she took a step closer. Then another step.

Her next exhale had her stomach shriveling. She set her shoulders back and lifted her chin.

Link was in there.

She hadn't been able to see him anywhere, so she could only assume that he hadn't made it out. If she went inside, there was a chance that she could at last see him again.

No.

She _would_ see him again.

Her legs felt much more relaxed upon that thought. She crossed over to the doors, seized one of the rings, and pulled it open with a burst of strength.

Then Zelda walked inside.

* * *

><p>The second awakening was even more painful than the first.<p>

Link had to use every bit of his strength to crack open his eyes only to wind up shutting them again. He groaned and moved to push himself up to find that he couldn't.

He opened his eyes a second time. Thankfully, they stayed open. He looked around to see stone walls, stone floor—

Slowly the previous day's events came to mind. Just like he was right now, he'd awakened in a dungeon cell, figured out that he'd been captured by Ganondorf. . . and then Navi had arrived, and together they'd put together an escape plan.

But they'd failed.

They'd come so close to exiting the dungeon but they'd failed. He'd sent Navi off to warn Zelda, and then had fought moblins endlessly until he felt a blow to the head and suddenly everything had gone black—

And now here he was.

He again tried using his arms to push himself up only to find once more that he couldn't. He then took a deep breath and, using his abdomen, forced himself up into a sitting position.

Link looked over his shoulder to see his wrists bound behind him by a set of manacles chained to the wall. He tried to jerk his wrists apart, each attempt quicker and stronger than the last, but they held firm.

Seeing that he was only going to waste energy, he relaxed his arms and gritted his teeth. So now he had several disadvantages. He was restrained, Navi was no longer here and the moblins likely wouldn't come in to give him food or water after his escape attempt. He'd never thought that the moblins would actually wise up, since when did they do that—

His breath hitched.

Of course.

He'd been giving them too much credit. They might have a fair amount of brawn, but moblins _weren't_ intelligent and never would be. Therefore they had to have slipped up somewhere.

Link closed his eyes and let deep breaths flow in and out of his body. Soon he had a pristine mind, free of any panic or emotion.

He attached his thumb to his pinky, allowing his hand to be slightly narrower. With an inhale, he tried pulling his hand through the clamp—

His hand slipped out without much problem.

Link opened his eyes and guided his free hand to his front. He flipped it over and over, as though he was making sure it was there.

He grinned. He tried doing the same thing with his other hand, and within seconds it too was free.

Link stood up and rubbed his wrists. "Stupid moblins."

He never thought he'd be so happy to say that.

Now he was back to where he'd started last time. How to get out of the cell. . .

Link considered the moblins again. They'd been stupid enough to leave the manacles loose enough for him to slip out of them, so perhaps they'd made another mistake.

Could they have accidentally left the cell door unlocked? Link discarded the idea as soon as it formed. No, not even moblins were that stupid. Could they come back here again, try opening the door? No, they probably feared Ganondorf enough to not do that.

Link stood there, considering several ideas before subsequently discarding them. At last he resigned himself to walking over to the door and peering through the small window.

From what he could see on the outside, he'd definitely been relocated to a different cell, most likely deeper in the dungeon. And the moblins—

He knitted his eyebrows.

He couldn't see any moblins guarding him.

But that didn't make sense. Where'd they all gone? And why would Ganondorf just leave him unguarded? It was as if he wanted to lull Link into a false sense of security, make him think that it would be easy to get out—

Or easy for someone else to get to him.

"Oh no," he muttered.

That meant she was coming, didn't it? And Ganondorf was relying on that, wasn't he?

He had a sinking feeling that he had something terrible planned out for her.

Link thought hard. What did he have, what did he have—

It occurred to him.

He checked his weapons arsenal, and sure enough, he still had his hookshot.

Link breathed a sigh of relief. He'd been able to snatch it from some of the moblins he'd fought after Navi left, and thankfully they hadn't snatched it back.

He wouldn't be able to magically pull himself out of the cell or anything, but if the tip was sharp enough. . .

He squatted down and stabbed the tip of the hookshot into the wooden door. He wedged it in, deeper, deeper until he was sure that the tip was poking out of the door.

Link pulled the hookshot out and jammed it back in a few inches above where he had stabbed the door earlier. He pushed the tip in again and extracted it when he saw a little bit of light seeping through the newfound gap. He repeated the process over and over, gradually sawing through the door until he had cut out a large square from the door. He kicked the square forward, causing the piece to fall out and opening a gap wide enough for him to exit through.

He put his arms through first and used them to squeeze his upper body through the opening. Then he easily pulled his legs out of the cell.

He got up to his feet and looked around. There were still no moblins in sight.

It would have been less unnerving if there had been thousands of them.

Link took a few steps forward, looking everywhere, noting every cell, every stone, every crevice. He began walking at a normal pace, still wary of any sort of trap, magical or not. When he was halfway to the exit and there was still no sign of a trap, he picked up the pace and ran.

So Zelda was almost certainly coming. He'd really hoped that Navi would be able to get through to her, but—oh, who was he kidding? He'd been an idiot to ever think that she would actually stay away. Now there wasn't much he could do about it except pray that she stayed smart.

He took a left and continued to run straight. He remembered this hall during his first escape attempt; if he just kept going, then he would arrive at the exit—

Link stopped running.

If Ganondorf was expecting Zelda to arrive, then that barrier was till up.

He turned around back in the direction he'd come. So he couldn't get out. At least, not that way. If he just searched for another exit, maybe find something that Navi missed last time—

Footsteps.

Coming from the direction that he had been headed in.

Link whipped his head around, hardly daring to believe it. "Zel—"

Then he got a better look at the approaching outline—tall and extremely muscular, certainly a male.

Dread seeped into his veins. Now Link knew what exactly the trap was.

Ganondorf was here.

* * *

><p>First she entered the Grand Hall, a wide open space with a gold-railed grand staircase arcing over the elaborate double doors that led to the throne room. A carefully designed royal purple aisle trailed across the exquisite marble floor, and all around her were several other doors that led to all other sorts of parts in the castle. If she looked up, she could see the golden glass chandelier dripping tear-shaped diamonds at its edges.<p>

Normally this felt warm to her, just like the home it was. Now it was nothing more than a shadow, dark and almost even haunted.

She walked deeper inside. It was very quiet. . .

Too quiet.

She had to be on her guard.

Zelda stopped mid-step and thought for a moment. Where would Ganondorf be keeping Link? The dungeon? Or maybe the throne room? That was where he'd been keeping her when he'd kidnapped her. But then again, Navi had said that the prime reason that Link hadn't been able to escape was because of the barrier he had raised. She couldn't see that barrier barring the throne room.

So the dungeon it was.

But, she slowly realized, she couldn't go right to him. Not yet. They would probably begin fighting Ganondorf shortly after she found him, and Navi had also said that he'd, of course, been disarmed when he'd been put into a cell. Link was a powerful warrior, but he'd be at his full potential if he had his Master Sword.

She bit her lip and concentrated. Where would Ganondorf keep such a weapon? He was one to flaunt his victories, so perhaps he'd placed it somewhere symbolic-

The Throne Room.

Zelda crossed over to the double doors and slowly pushed one open. Fortunately it was brighter in there than it had been in the Grand Hall.

The light thus made it much easier for her to see the newfound additions to the room.

Right in the middle of the aisle, lying on a royal red cushion in a chest, was none other than the Master Sword, just as she had guessed.

But what she hadn't anticipated were the six obsidian pedestals circling it. And the very familiar bodies that were resting on them.

The Hylian Sages.

Zelda lost nearly all sense of caution and rocketed toward them before she skidded to a halt and corrected herself. She was forced to summon much of her willpower to keep her steps under control.

She trembled as she drew ever closer to the Sages. They were. . . The Sages. . . What were they. . .

Zelda took a deep breath and attempted to control her thoughts as though she were keeping in a ballistic mare. Then she removed the remaining distance between her and the Sages.

Immediately she came to Impa's side. Almost everything about her was just as Zelda remembered-her silver hair, her well-toned, tanned body, and her dark blue armor. The only thing unfamiliar was her deathly stillness.

Zelda tried and failed to swallow a lump in her throat. She inhaled through her mouth, several painful emotions suddenly racking her chest. She didn't bother to blink away the incoming tears as she put two fingers to Impa's neck.

She held her breath-

A pulse. It was very small, faint, but it was still there.

Zelda exhaled and closed her eyes in relief, letting the tears stream down her face. She looked up to the ceiling as though she could see the Goddesses themselves.

"Thank you," she said softly.

She wiped away the tears. They really were alive.

Alive, but cursed. They'd only awaken if Ganondorf was defeated.

Zelda gripped the edges of the pedestal and looked down. The Goddesses had truly done her a great favor by keeping the Six Sages alive. Now, it was her duty to return the favor by saving Link, the Sages, and Hyrule itself.

She looked down at her hand at the Triforce. A corner of the golden triangle glowed like the last light under a starless sky.

Zelda let her hand fall to her side. She looked down upon Impa and managed a smile.

"Thank you for protecting me," she said. "Now it's my turn to protect you."

With that, she walked over to where the Master Sword laid.

"It's about time you and I saw each other again, isn't it, Link?" she muttered.

Zelda reached down and fastened her hand around the handle-

No sooner than she'd touched it did she suddenly feel a drop in the temperature.

She gasped at sudden chill sinking deep into her bones. She let go of the handle like it had burned her, and soon she realized that there was a newfound presence behind her.

A very, very _dark_ presence.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She hardly dared to breathe.

Then, inch by inch, she turned around.

Sure enough, a cloud of dark energy was coming together, looping in and out and molding and expanding and compressing, until, finally, something appeared, and the dark energy receded, leaving a newfound person in its wake.

The figure was dressed in form-fitting black clothing fit for combat. The figure was tall, distinctly female, and had a white cloth covering the lower part of her pitch-black face. A long black braid trailed behind her, and bright red eyes stared at her with murderous intent.

Zelda's eyes grew until they could grow no more.

It was Sheik.

Dark Sheik.


	29. Chapter 28: The Other Side of the Coin

**A/N: Okay guys, seriously, this may very well be my favorite chapter in the entire story. 29 and 30 come really close, but I think ultimately this takes the cake. It's also long and the title is inspired by a quote from Twilight Princess and like I said, I'm REALLY excited. :D**

**Thanks for the reviews! (And seriously, there was an onslaught of them this time.) So close to 200! :D So anyways, thanks to Purestrongpoem, tswift1fan, LunaStarWolf, Pandora151, InkWoven, TheGreatMage, Zeltra, Seth Darkcloud and AnriMia24. **

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 28: The Other Side of the Coin<span>

Zelda froze. She could do nothing save stare at this new, foreboding version of herself.

Dark Sheik, on the other hand, was able to act just fine. She sped over to Zelda and barraged her with a series of jabs, topped off by a hard kick to the chest.

It took all of Zelda's strength to not stumble back. She turned around and ran away. She had to take the fight away from the Sages.

She was fast, but Dark Sheik was faster. Suddenly she appeared in front of Zelda and slammed her black-clothed forearm into her face.

Zelda in turn rammed her elbow in her face. She took advantage of Dark Sheik's momentary daze by grabbing her shoulder and throwing her to the ground.

Dark Sheik made contact with the floor, rolling backward with the momentum before she stood up once more. She jumped and flicked something while in the air, and subsequently the Princess felt multiple needles bury themselves into her shoulder.

Zelda drew out her own needles, ran closer to her opponent, and threw them at her only for them to miss when Dark Sheik let herself fall.

The sound of Dark Sheik's feet landing on Saria's pedestal echoed through the room. A fiery ball of anger awakened inside Zelda at the sight. She unfurled her chain and flung it at her to be met by Dark Sheik's own chain. The ends of the chains intertwined upon their rough connection.

She leapt off of the pedestal and flipped forward, yanking Zelda backward and causing her to be flat on her back. The next thing she knew, feet were crashing right into her stomach.

Zelda gritted her teeth and whipped her chain at her. This time she felt it connect with her, and subsequently she felt Dark Sheik's weight lift off of her.

She stood up and gave Dark Sheik a good kick, punishing her to the ground before she could stand up alongside her. She was just about to kick her again when Dark Sheik rolled behind her, got out her needles and stabbed them deep into her leg. She dragged them across her flesh before she pulled them out, making it almost look as though an animal had clawed her thigh.

Zelda cried out and tried to ignore the newfound pulsing in her leg. She focused on locating Dark Sheik. . .

It didn't take long for her to find her. Dark Sheik was running straight for the golden throne itself.

"Oh no you don't!" Zelda gave chase straightaway. She reached for her chain only to grab her needles when she remembered that she had let go of it.

She threw three needles in rapid succession, but Dark Sheik maneuvered herself out of the way just in time, resulting in only one needle poking her arm.

Zelda gritted her teeth. Was her aim really that bad? No, it was almost perfect. Her time in the Smash Mansion had ensured that. So that would mean that Dark Sheik was insanely fast.

Dark Sheik stepped onto one of the arms of the throne and lashed out with her own chain when Zelda drew near. She ducked and rolled to the side. When she stood up again, she quickly grabbed the chain and yanked Dark Sheik off of the throne.

"You had no right to be on there," said Zelda very articulately.

Dark Sheik didn't respond. She just turned around and ran away once again. Unwilling to let her get away, she gave chase. It was only when she began to tire of running that she noticed just how surprisingly fatigued she was.

She shook her head. She couldn't get on that tangent.

Dark Sheik stopped only when she'd gotten over to the other wall, where a giant tapestry of the Goddesses hung. Zelda picked up her pace, but could only watch as Dark Sheik catapulted herself into the air and grabbed on to the tapestry.

She grabbed a needle and threw it at the black-clothed female's side. Dark Sheik quickly swung to the side, dodging it, then Zelda feinted throwing a second one at the same place before quickly hurling it while aiming straight between the eyes.

Dark Sheik nearly propelled herself to the side before catching Zelda's trick. In turn she moved her head to the side-

Allowing the needle to sink straight into her left eye.

She grinned. Yes, her plan had worked, she'd finally injured her! And with one eye down, that would surely also allow her to exploit a new blind spot-

The needle sunk into Dark Sheik's body like quicksand. Soon the silvery weapon was gone, and Dark Sheik's eye looked relatively unharmed.

Zelda gaped at the sight. She had. . . _absorbed_ the needle? Ugh, of course she would, she wasn't a real human, she was dark magic personified.

Dark Sheik pushed herself off of the wall with her feet, swinging forward before she let go and delivered a kick straight to Zelda's face.

Zelda staggered backward and recovered just in time to cover her face with her arms, blocking a series of punches. She lowered them to attack when she received a kick to the gut.

She reeled over, giving Dark Sheik the opportunity to grab her hair and punch her in the jaw. Trying to ignore the throbbing in her face, gut and leg, Zelda grabbed Dark Sheik's shoulder and pushed her down.

Dark Sheik latched onto her arm just as she went down, dragging her down with her. The two rolled around the floor together, engaged in a desperate struggle for the upper hand, until finally they crashed into a wall with Dark Sheik ultimately coming out on top.

Zelda thrashed with all of her strength, but her opponent too strong. Dark Sheik firmly held her in place with her thighs and elbowed her right in the forehead.

Zelda's breaths came in short, ragged inhales. Oh Goddesses, Oh Goddesses, she was losing-

Just look at this like you're in a Brawl, she told herself. What are her-well, YOUR-strengths and weaknesses?

Dark Sheik was incredibly fast, even faster than Zelda, and now that Zelda's leg was wounded, Dark Sheik definitely had the advantage when it came to speed. Like Zelda, she also seemed highly intelligent, able to completely scan a battlefield and manipulate her surroundings accordingly, she was strong, her aim was impeccable, she obviously experienced with her weapons-

Now it was obvious that Dark Sheik had not only her abilities, but all of her experience. A dark but perfect copy of herself.

And now that she was personally fighting herself, she finally understood what all the Brawlers had been saying about her. She really had been one of the best Brawlers around.

So how was it that she was supposed to defeat someone with entirely the same strengths and weaknesses as her?

How was she supposed to defeat a stronger, crueler version of herself?

She didn't know.

But she had to try.

Zelda wrenched her arm free from underneath her opponent and gave Dark Sheik a clean hook. The blow caught Dark Sheik off-guard long enough for Zelda to throw her off and back away.

What could she do? Projectiles could be absorbed, she seemed fairly resistant to close combat-

She didn't let herself go any further and decided on close combat-at least those attacks weren't absorbed. Even though Dark Sheik was deadly at close-range, fighting that way was Zelda's best option.

Zelda ran at her and swiftly delivered a kick to the side. Miraculously, Dark Sheik stumbled back, prompting Zelda to ram her elbow into her chest, followed by her swinging her forearm at her face-

She ducked and caught the forearm simultaneously. She then threw Zelda backwards and slammed her onto the floor.

Zelda tried to stand up, but still Dark Sheik hadn't let go of her arm. She tried to tug it out of her grasp, but all that did was prompt Dark Sheik to twist her arm. Before Zelda could even grunt, she felt a foot slam into back, sending her straight at the wall as Dark Sheik finally released her forearm.

Pain arcing through her back like lightning, she pushed herself off of the wall and was just about to send herself at Dark Sheik once more when a black-covered forearm pinned her throat to the wall.

Zelda struggled for breath and pushed against Dark Sheik's forearm with sweaty hands, gasping an inhale when the pressure was lifted-

Multiple needles, bunched up together so they were as thick as a knife's blade, plunge deep into her shoulder.

And then Zelda screamed until her lungs shriveled.

* * *

><p>"It seems as though your Princess didn't heed your warning," Ganondorf said. His eyes glinted with sadistic amusement.<p>

"It wasn't that hard to figure out," Link said coldly. His features became as hard as stone. "Why? Why draw her here?"

The King of Evil laughed. "Isn't that plain?"

Link's face didn't change.

When it became apparent to Ganondorf that he didn't intend on responding, he simply continued.

"See," he said as he took a few steps around Link, beginning to circle him, "you must understand, it always comes back around to you. Both the Princess and I play great parts in Hyrule's intricate web of history, yes, but you were chosen by the Goddesses themselves, the one tasked with protecting this filth of a country. You are the one who leaves the greatest impact out of all three of us. And as such-"

Ganondorf stopped once he was back in front of him. His great smile had vanished.

"Between you and the Princess, it was you who left the greatest impact on me."

Ganondorf straightened his back and held his palm out in front of him. A black mist began to swirl above it.

Link forced himself to not take a step back.

"Make no mistake, the Princess did leave a profound impact on me as well, so of course I had to exact my vengeance upon her," he continued in a completely conversational tone. "Oh, you should have seen the look on her face when I claimed that you were gone, that I had murdered you in cold blood. First there was the shock, and then the denial-well, actually, no, she wasn't in denial, she flat out did not believe me-and then the slow horror that grew on her face, that overcame her body, overcame her very soul. And in that moment, Hero, _she was broken_."

He balled his fists, trying not to listen to it. But he still did, and then he found quite a bit of pleasure picturing the many ways he could utterly maim that cold-blooded, green-skinned beast.

"So she has thus appropriately suffered for her past deeds. But you, Hero. . . you have not. But that is about to change."

The dark mist began to slowly dissolve until a room began to show up.

"I merely told the Princess that you were dead. But you have the pleasure of watching her die yourself. I laid a trap for her—I knew that she counted on you to be disarmed, so naturally she would go for the Master Sword first. But the moment she touched it, a great opponent would arise. And now, it appears as though she has fallen straight into it."

At last the dark haze cleared up. Link could see the throne room and in it, a shadowy opponent had a battered-looking Zelda pinned against a wall.

He felt his breath leave him.

Zelda struggled violently, but this didn't stop something from sinking straight into her shoulder. She opened her mouth-

A distant scream echoed off of the dungeon walls.

"Oh Goddesses, Zelda." Link's eyes filled with horror. "ZELDA!"

Link didn't think. He simply ran straight at Ganondorf, dispelling the mist's image, and punched him clean in the face.

He took a step back, caught off-guard by the sudden blow. He held a hand over his eye.

When he looked back up, he was laughing.

"Do you honestly think that you can defeat me right now?" Ganondorf said. "You're weakened and disarmed."

"Oh please," Link said. "I'm the Hero of Time. I can defeat you any time I feel like it."

Then he charged Ganondorf again.

* * *

><p>Sheer pain blitzed through her shoulder, clawing her insides. She clutched her shoulder. Blood seeped through her fingertips as she fell to her knees.<p>

Zelda stared at the ground. Her eyes glazed over.

How could she beat her?

She couldn't eat her.

Dark Sheik was infinitely the better Sheik—

And that's the problem, she realized with a jolt that sent her head shooting back up.

She was thinking and fighting just like Sheik. She'd focused so much on trying to think of strengths that Sheik had that she'd never considered if one of the strengths she had as Zelda could be efficient. . .

Magic.

She could pull off a few magical battle tricks or two when she concentrated, but if she were to use it as a proper weapon. . .

Dark Sheik loomed over her, prepared to give her a final blow to the head when Zelda closed her eyes and focused on projecting herself behind Sheik—

A rush of magical energy coursed through her veins. When she opened her eyes, she was looking at Dark Sheik's back.

Zelda rose up to her full height as Dark Sheik turned around. She reached deep down into her very core and grasped the prickly and warm magic. Then she lifted some of it up and brought it into the physical world.

Sparks danced on her fingertips.

She looked at Dark Sheik straight in her eyes.

Then she smiled.

"Don't you know that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery?"

The next thing she knew, she'd disappeared and reappeared behind her and stamped her hand into her back, sending magic into Dark Sheik almost as though she was electrocuting her.

She was sent high up into the air, and when she started to descend, Zelda was ready for her. She bent down lower to the ground and raised her arm high above her head, stunning Dark Sheik again. She was forced into the air again-

This time Dark Sheik recovered. She flipped in the air and sent a volley of needles in her direction, but Zelda simply raised her hand and used magic to let them fall.  
>Dark Sheik landed cleanly on her feet. She broke out into a run, coming straight toward her. Zelda let her.<p>

She raised an arm to punch Zelda only for her to grap her wrist. Dark Sheik tried the same thing with her other hand only to be met with the same result. The two struggled, their arms locked high above their heads, until Zelda jumped, let go of the lock, and gave her a precise kick imbued with just enough magical energy to send her flying back.

Both Zelda and Dark Sheik landed on their feet. They ran right for each other-

Dark Sheik sent more needles straight in Zelda's direction-

She spun around, and subsequently a blue crystal engulfed her, effectively deflecting the needles. Then, drawing strength from Din, she stepped forward and pushed her arm forward at Dark Sheik. A large ball of fire shot out of her hand and engulfed Dark Sheik in flames.

Dark Sheik stumbled back and fell to the floor, close to where the Sages were resting-

Zelda got an idea.

She summoned the remnants of her magical energy and transported herself over to the Master Sword.

She stole a look at Dark Sheik-

The flames coating her had nearly vanished, and she was standing back up-

Zelda looked back down at the Master Sword.

Then she clamped her hand around the handle and lifted it from the chest.

The Master Sword immediately felt awkward in her hands, too clunky. But while it was uncomfortable, she could use it for one move-

Just one thrust would do-

She spun on her heels and saw Dark Sheik coming at her at an incredibly rapid pace-

And she was coming closer, closer-

"Sorry," she said, "but there's only enough room for one of us."

Zelda closed the remaining distance between them-

And then rammed the blade through Dark Sheik's chest.

She let go of the handle and took a few steps back. A ray of light shot out from the wound, then another, then another, until a great cone of light was emitted from it.

The very light seeped down deep into Dark Sheik's body, quickly racing through her veins, converting black to a bright gold. It spread to her arms, to her legs, to her neck, to her feet, to her head-

An unearthly wail racked the throne room walls like nails on a chalkboard. All at once, the light dispersed, leaving the Master Sword to fall to the floor with a very ungraceful clang.

Dark Sheik had been defeated.

* * *

><p>Ganondorf rose up into the air but Link had already gotten to him. He grabbed the handle of Ganondorf's long sword and managed to rip it from its sheathe. He rolled away. When he came back up, Ganondorf was up in the air, as high as he could go.<p>

_Just like old times_, Link thought.

Link deflected a ball of magic that was sent at him, and instead of hitting him or Ganondorf it crashed into the ceiling.

He looked over to Ganondorf, who was already floating away. Link gave chase, deflecting another ball of magic when one was sent at him.

This time, it hit Ganondorf.

Ganondorf cried out and his body came closer to the ground. Link seized his chance and delivered a series of strikes against him.

It wasn't long before the Bearer of Power recovered. He rose back up to his original height. Already knowing what was going to happen, Link ran towards Ganondorf as he flew away.

A ball of dark magic formed his hands-

Then he shot straight toward Link.

He came down to the ground and injected it right into Link's shoulder. He stumbled back, recovering in time to come at him again and swing a punch at his face.  
>Ganondorf easily caught the punch, but Link didn't . He tried a variety of punches and kicks, him attacking and Ganondorf defending in almost perfect synchronization.<p>

Link swung the sword at Ganondorf's head. He ducked, resulting in the blade stabbing deep into a weakening wall.

He tried pulling his sword out. He pulled again when it didn't work, and a third time when the second attempt failed, all the while noting that Ganondorf was back up in the air.

Link gritted his teeth. He placed a foot on the wall, using it as support, and gave the sword the hardest tug yet. When the sword finally broke free, he stumbled back and looked over to Ganondorf-

Who was flying straight toward him, who was almost upon him-

Link dove to a side at the last second, feeling the rushing wind ruffle his tunic as Ganondorf flew straight past.

He stood up and turned to his opponent just as he was straightening himself and climbing back to his former height.

"And here we go again," Link said to himself as he ran at Ganondorf once more-

* * *

><p>Zelda set to work immediately. She used needles to cut strips of cloth from the bottom of her trousers. She gritted her teeth as she wrapped the thickest strip around her shoulder. If only she were back at the Smash Arena. With the kind of medical items they had there, she would be ready to fight within a few minutes.<p>

When both her leg wound and shoulder wound had been treated, she quickly grabbed her needles and chain and rearmed herself. Then she picked up the Master Sword and ran out of the throne room as fast as she could.

She had to make up for lost time. Ganondorf's little trap, while it thankfully hadn't killed her, had certainly managed to subdue her. And if Link had been hurt during that period of time-

Zelda tried not to think about that. She just kept running through the grand hall until she pushed open a door.

She followed the subsequent hallway and eventually came to the dungeon entrance. Sure enough, it was barred by a barrier not unlike ones she had had to lift seven years ago.

Time to see if she could still do it.

Zelda raised her arms and drew upon her magic-

The barrier shot up into the ceiling.

And then Zelda headed down into the dungeon.

* * *

><p>Link hadn't been running toward him for very long before Ganondorf had fired a ball of magic at him. Link sent it back at him without breaking stride. Ganondorf maneuvered himself away from the incoming magical projectile; he grunted and threw a second one at him with a war cry—<p>

Link moved to block it too late.

It hit him, and subsequently he felt as though he were being burned to death. He dropped the sword and could stop himself from falling to the ground. The momentum of his fall caused him to roll and hit a wall.

He laid there and let out a pained exhale. The magical energy raged through his body like a fire burning him from the inside out. The inferno gradually calmed down to a simple fire, allowing Link to rise back up to his feet.

He looked down only to find that the sword was no longer there.

Panic rose up his chest. He tried to shove it down as best as he could. He had to focus on finding a weapon, there was no way he could defeat Ganondorf when he was flying in the air and attacking him with magic, not without a weapon—

His head looked back and forth. There was nothing but stone all around him, and Ganondorf—

Startled, he looked back in front of him to see Ganondorf's horizontal body pelting forward toward, him, his reclaimed sword in front of his head and just a second away from going straight through his chest—

His eyes widened—

"No!"

And then someone suddenly appeared right in front of him as steel clashed with steel.

Link took a step back to get a good view of the one who had just saved his life. A female, with long brown hair and a furled chain hanging at her side—

Zelda.

Ganondorf bent forward, pushing the lock down and thus forcing Zelda to bend her knees. Her legs were trembling dangerously, but with a burst of strength, she rose to her full height and began bending over Ganondorf before she broke the lock.

She then turned her sword around—no, wait, that was the _Master Sword_—and slammed the hilt into his head.

And just like that, Ganondorf fell to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

><p>Zelda was panting by the time Ganondorf had fallen. The sudden silence took the form of a living being, omnipresent, and impossible not to notice. She closed her mouth, now regulating her breathing. She wiped away sweat on her forehead that she hadn't previously realized was there.<p>

She turned around to see Link. He looked the same as he had when she'd last seen him, clad in his forest-green tunic and cap. His face looked just as stunned as she felt.

Zelda hesitantly walked toward him, never letting go of his blue eyes.

She turned the Master Sword so that it was pointing downward and handed it to him.

Link accepted it. "I think this is mine."

"Ye-Yeah."

She was glad to be rid of it—it had felt very awkward and clunky when she'd used it. In Link's hands, though, it looked perfectly comfortable.

She didn't know what else to say. But when she looked into his eyes again, she realized that there was nothing to be said. Words were simply inadequate, and the raw connection was one of the most powerful things in the world.

Link sheathed the Master Sword. "Look, I—"

Zelda cut him off and hugged him.

"Oh, um. . ." A moment later she felt his arms wrap around her in turn.

Zelda was smiling before she knew that she was smiling. Tears welled up in her eyes. She thought about Link, how he was really, truly here and hugging her back, and then her chest seemed to inflate, making her feel as big as the entire castle.

She could have remained there forever. And it sure felt like a forever—the greatest forever that she had ever had the privilege to experience.

At last they parted, and she punched his shoulder. "Don't you ever disappear on me again, do you hear me?"

Link laughed. "I hear you. And I won't, just so long as you don't disappear on me."

"Then it appears as though we have a deal."

"Great." His eyes moved to her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"It does hurt, but I can still fight," she said. After fighting temporarily with Ganondorf, she didn't think that she had to prove her point. "What about you? You were battling Ganondorf when I came in—"

"I'm fine, just fine," Link said. "He hit me with a few magical attacks, but the effects seem to have worn off."

"That's good." Zelda then decided to focus on informing him of important information. "Listen, we have all six Sages now—Peach joined the ranks just this morning. But something happened at the Smash Arena that ended up scattering the Sages. They'll come here once they have all been gathered." Now, if Peach and Navi could just hurry, that would be great. Ganondorf was unconscious, so now was an opportune moment—

"You two. . ." a familiar voice suddenly growled.

She gasped and whirled around to see Ganondorf rising to his feet once more. His eyes were steely yet livid all the while, and his mouth had curled into a snarl.

"You two. . . both of you. . . why can't either of you just _DIE!_"

It started slowly at first, being a tremor so small that for a moment Zelda wondered if she had only imagined it. Then the tremor grew into a steady rumbling, and then the rumbling into a jostle.

She was thrown to the side; she placed a hand on the wall just in time to prevent herself from falling. She looked to Link, who was drawing the Master Sword, and then she looked to Ganondorf—

Who, just like the tremors, was beginning to evolve.

He was bent over, calling forth more and more dark magic until he did not look so much like the King of Evil more than his shadow. His back rose and elongated, his spine cracking as it did so. His legs and arms stretched until they each became twice the size of Link and Zelda's bodies.

"I hereby vow on my life," Ganondorf said, "that your blood shall spill upon Hylian grounds!"

By then he had grown to the height of the dungeon ceiling. Curved horns rose out of his head, and a tail grew out from his back.

It was then that the dark magic departed from him and vanished into the air. Looming before them was a monstrous beast with dirty green fur and twin swords that was big enough to fill a room.

"Goddesses above," Link muttered. "That's—"

"Ganon," Zelda finished. Her voice was just as quiet as his.

Ganon seemed to retract for a moment, like a snake just about to strike. Then he propelled his body toward Link and Zelda and bellowed a roar.

The sheer weight of the sound was almost enough to send them flying back. She bent down and dug the heels of her feet into the floor, shielding her face with her arms and closing her eyes when the wind bit her face.

She only reopened them when the sound had died down. Ganon jerked his head into the ceiling, causing several stones to plummet to the floor like giant hail, reared back again, and then launched himself into the air, breaking through the ceiling.

"Get away!" Link grabbed her hand and together they ran away from the crumbling ceiling, picking up the pace when they heard Ganon plow through the wall of the room above.

They only stopped once they had gotten a few feet away from the newfound gap in the ceiling. They looked back at it to see that the precipitation of stones was gradually coming to a halt.

"We have to go after him," she said.

Link snorted. "Oh yes, we certainly do."

Zelda held out her hand to him and lifted her eyebrows. Link nodded and took it, and then she subsequently willed herself to be near Ganon.

Suddenly the ground was much softer, and wind was brushing her face. She opened her eyes to see lightning cut across the sky, illuminating a roaring Ganon.

Zelda pulled on the end of the chain and unraveled it from her waist. She gripped it very tightly-

Then she closed her eyes.

She exhaled through her nose.

Her shoulders relaxed.

She now knew just what it would take to defeat Ganondorf.

She'd triumphed over Brawlers as Sheik, and had triumphed over Dark Sheik as Zelda.

But in order to triumph over Ganondorf. . .

Zelda let sparks of magic rise to the tips of her fingers. She opened her eyes and looked down. She held the chain in one hand and possessed raw magic in the other.

In order to defeat Ganondorf, she would have to be become more powerful than either.

And why not combine the two powers to rise above them both?

Zelda looked over to Link, who was in a battle stance and looking intently at her.

"On three?" he asked.

She nodded. "On three."

A corner of his mouth rose, and his eyes burned with absolute confidence. Zelda understood-Link had fought Ganondorf once before, by himself, and had won. So now that he was facing Ganondorf alongside her. . .

Did Ganondorf _really_ think that this was going to be easy?

"One," Link said.

Zelda smiled. "Two."

They both looked toward a charging Ganon. She squared her shoulders.

And then, simultaneously-

"Three."

And then it began.


	30. Chapter 29: Courage, Wisdom and Power

**A/N: Thanks to LunaStarWolf, Purestrongpoem, InkWoven, tswift1fan, Pandora151, Daisy Bokoblin, AnriMia24, Zeltra and Seth Darkcloud for reviewing. :)**

**And now for RB's climax.**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 29: Courage, Wisdom and Power<span>

Zelda and Link both broke out into a run. Within seconds they had crossed over half the distance between them and Ganondorf.

"You attack him from the front, I'll flank from the behind," Link said. "I know that he's even bigger than the last time we faced him, but he could still get overwhelmed if he's getting constantly attacked from both sides."

"Right."

So that was the plan that they stuck to when they reached him. Link dropped to the ground and rolled between his legs while Zelda jumped, teleported so that she came higher into the air, and wrapped her chain around one of Ganon's tusks. She propelled her body forward, swinging across his face-

She caught a glimpse of one of his incoming swords-

Zelda backflipped just as the sword swiped the air and landed on Ganon's tusks-

She heard a sword slash skin several times, then Zelda latched onto the tusk just as Ganon's body leaned dangerously backwards. Then it jerked forward as one of Ganon's feet lifted and then stomped on the ground with great force. Then he stomped again with his other one, almost like he was trying to crush a pesky insect-

She released her hold on the tusk, and ran across it, taking her chain with her, until she was standing straight on his head. She knelt down and grabbed one of Ganon's red strands of hair for support. Then she stamped her hand onto his skull and pushed her magic into it.

Ganon stumbled again. One of his swords then came over his head-

Zelda let go of his air and proceeded to roll away from the sword and straight off his head.

Zelda flipped and then straightened herself as she fell, quickly drawing needles from her side and flinging them at his neck-

His neck, Zelda realized.

She fell onto the ground before she could make herself teleport and landed roughly on her back. Pain lanced up her spine as she gritted her teeth and made herself stand up.

The first thing she saw was Link rolling under Ganon's raised foot and injecting the Master Sword in the middle of it before Ganon could bring it down on him.

The behemoth instinctively brought his foot back up, but not before Link pulled his sword out.

He dropped to the ground, rolled to the side and stood up once he was between Ganon's legs. Then he held his sword out and executed several spin attacks in a row, creating several gashes around his ankles.

Zelda took her attention away from Link and ran around Ganon.

When she came to his front once more, she took a step back and looked at him. Her eyes rested on his neck.

Necks were a vulnerable point in humans, so why on earth couldn't it be a vulnerable point of Ganon?

Ganon bent down and swiped one of his swords at Zelda. She threw herself on the ground and rolled away.

She stood up-

The second sword was coming at her-

Zelda leapt out of the way, feeling the momentum of the blade brush her back. She turned back around, drew her arm back, and waited for one of the swords to come at her once more-

And sure enough, one of the swords was drawing closer-

And thus, so was one of Ganon's hands.

She pointed her arm at his hand and sent a ball of fire at it. His hand bursted into flames, and one of his swords fell to the ground.

Zelda ran out from underneath him and to his arm. She jumped and latched onto his wrist. Ganon shook it, trying to get her off of him, but she held firm. Shakily she swung her legs onto his green skin and prayed that he would stop trying to get her off of him soon, she would surely fall off if she tried running up his arm now, and, being honest with herself, she didn't have it in her to transport herself very far-

She looked to the side, as though trying to find a way to make him stop, when she saw Link run out from underneath his legs. He jumped up and rammed the Master Sword into one of Ganon's kneecaps-

He roared in pain and fell to his knee-

Which meant that his attempts to get her off had momentarily stopped-

Zelda scrambled to her feet and bolted up his forearm, ignoring the burning wound in her thigh. She'd reached his elbow when Ganon caught what she was doing. She closed her eyes and willed herself at his shoulder just as he resumed his previous efforts.

Now high above the ground and not very far below his head, Zelda couldn't help but place her hands on her knees and pant.

Her magical energy was practically gone . . . she didn't know if she could keep this up for much longer. . .

Come on, she told herself. There's no way you'll win if you delay.

So she rose back up and, biting back both the pain and the fatigue, swiftly crossed over to Ganon's neck. She got out over half of her needles and thrust them into his neck.

The bellow of pain that followed was louder than any of the cheers she'd heard in the Smash Arena. Ganon fell to his other knee, and then slowly fell forward.

Zelda looked down and saw Link staring up at Ganon. His expanding shadow shrouded the Hero.

"Link, run!" she yelled.

She took a step back-

But she still leaned dangerously forward, forward enough-

Enough to cause her to plummet through the air.

She felt almost as though she were being strangled. She tried to call upon any magic inside her at all, but there was nothing left to call upon-

So she'd have to break her fall the old-fashioned way.

Zelda unraveled her chain, flipped over to the side, and latched it onto one of Ganon's fingers once she was underneath it. When his hand was close enough to the ground, she swung her body over to the side, gave the chain a hard tug that released it from Ganon's finger, and let herself fall to the ground.

She landed on her feet and looked up-

His hand was just about to crush her-

Zelda dropped to the ground and rolled forward once, twice, three times. She stood up when a crash sent a shockwave up her legs.

And then all was eerily quiet.

She looked at Link, who was just as breathless as her, and then back to Ganon.

Had they managed to. . .

One of Ganon's arms twitched, causing Zelda to instinctively take a step back.

The other moved as well. At first they were small, sharp movements, but they became longer, more fluid, until they could see Ganon using his hands to slowly push himself back up. A dark aura ringed around his body. Then tendrils of darkness seeped from the aura and into Ganon's skin, the blackness overtaking him more and more until he was fully bathed in it, just as he had been when he had first transformed.

But instead of growing bigger, Ganon's form compressed as he stood up. The tusks retracted, his shoulders became broader and his chest fuller-

The dark magic receded and revealed the hulking green-skinned man that they knew and despised. He was grinning, and didn't seem to possess any of the wounds Link and Zelda had inflicted upon him.

Ganondorf took calculated strides toward them. She steeled herself, tightening her grip on her chain-

Link's arm, pointed horizontally, cut through her vision.

She looked to see his face. It looked the hardest she'd ever seen it.

She looked back to Ganondorf. He took two more long steps toward them.

Then he stopped.

He chuckled a disgusting and slimy chuckle.

"Power, Courage, and Wisdom," he said. "The three pieces of the great Triforce, all gathered here today to do battle."

Ganondorf closed his eyes. "From henceforth, the light of Hyrule shall diminish permanently!"

Suddenly flames shot up out of the ground and reached toward the smoky sky.

Zelda looked to the left, then to the right, and then behind her. Sure enough, the three Bearers were completely encircled by fire.

She took a deep breath and ran over the links of her chain with her hand, straightening it almost like a whip. Link meanwhile lowered his arm and lowered himself into a defensive position.

Ganondorf held his sheathed sword in front of him and deliberately extracted his a blade longer than his body. He let the ornate black sheath drop to the ground and lowered his sword to his side.

"Now," Ganondorf grinned, "shall we begin?"

The three of them circled each other-

And then Ganondorf raised his sword and ran at the two of them.

Link and Zelda crossed the remaining distance. She lashed out at him with her chain, was met with a block, and then Link charged at him just as Ganondorf turned-

Their blades clanged together in a lock. Link grimaced, and then he pushed Ganondorf back, ending the lock, and rolled away.

She, in the meantime, ran forward. She whipped out her needles, dropped to the ground and rolled forward, and came back up to bury them deep into his skin and drag them across his shoulder. He cried out, but then swung his forearm at her face in retaliation. She stumbled back, but managed to catch his arm the next time he swung it at her. She pushed it back and rolled away.

Zelda lifted herself just in time to see Link sprinting toward Ganondorf before giving a series of quick strikes. Ganondorf blocked each one expertly before swiping his sword at his head.

Link ducked, went around him and tried thrusting his side-this time, Ganondorf only blocked just in time.

Zelda took the opportunity and ran over to his exposed back. She gave his spine a series of kicks, causing him to stumble forward and become open enough for Link to leave a gash in his arm.

A low growl came from Ganondorf when he managed to parry Link's next move. He slowly turned his dark green face to look at Zelda-

And quickly turned toward her-

She gripped both ends of her chain and brought it in front of her face-

But was forced to sidestep when Ganondorf's sword cut cleanly through the metal and grazed her arm.

Zelda let go of the pieces of the chain, backed away, and grasped the gash on her left arm. With both a wound in her shoulder and a cut on her forearm, her left arm was just about out of commission.

She rolled away as Ganondorf strode toward her and tried to think of any advantages she had. Her chain had been broken into two, thus it was no longer of use, she only had a few needles left and they wouldn't do much good against a man who was twice as big as her, her magical reserves had been nearly depleted-

But perhaps it had had time to refill.

Ganondorf jumped high up into the air. Zelda turned around to see him behind her, preparing an orb of dark magic in his free hand-

She drew upon her magic and willed an orb of light to appear just in time to counter Ganondorf's magic-imbued punch.

She tightened her arm and bent her head, mustering every bit of her willpower to not falter under the magical lock. She willed the light to grow stronger, pushing the dark orb back-

But the dark orb began to consume the light-

Zelda gritted her teeth. More magical energy flowed through her arm and to the orb of light, allowing it to grow stronger-

But the stronger the light grew, the stronger the darkness grew-

She touched her chin to her chest. Her eyes were brim with fright. Ganondorf was going to win this magical duel, she just knew it-

Then she felt an icy energy rush through her legs and up to her chest. She gave a small gasp.

That wasn't magic that she had called upon . . . that was magic that was like a signal to her-

A signal telling her that a spell of hers had worked.

Zelda snapped her head toward the bordering fire and did her best to see past the flames. Through them she could see silhouettes of new arrivals beginning to appear-such as a broad-shouldered young man wearing a cape, or a small being with an orb-like body-

"Zelda!" she heard Link call. "It's-"

"The Sages," she finished.

Before she knew it, she was smiling. She looked straight into Ganondorf's amber eyes.

"They're here."

Zelda abruptly thrust more power up her hand, and subsequently the light swallowed the darkness—

And it just continued to grow—

Growing until she couldn't see anything anymore—

Then all at once it faded and revealed Ganondorf struggling to get back up to his feet.

They were finally beginning to weaken him. If she were to just help Link finish him off . . . she had to find a proper weapon in order to do that—

No, she'd have to make a weapon with what had been lost.

Zelda turned on her heels and ran for the two halves of her chain. She picked them both up and aligned the pieces.

She quickly glanced up to see Link and Ganondorf battling each other—

Good. She had a little bit of time to create her weapon.

Zelda closed her eyes and focused on channeling her magic into the chain halves. They grew longer, thicker, and she could feel it become heavier—

She reopened her eyes when she felt the magic dissipate. She looked down to see not two pieces of a chain, but a sharp steel rapier.

She raised her newfound sword to a defensive position and sped toward Ganondorf as Link leapt to the side and rolled away from a strike. She similarly dropped to the ground and crossed the remaining distance by rolling, and then she rose back up and blocked Ganondorf's downward strike at her.

Zelda pulled her sword away and tried attacking him again at the same time as Link only for both blades to be blocked by Ganondorf's longsword. Ganondorf jumped high up into the air—

Both she and Link turned around and raised their swords as Ganondorf brought his down. Zelda used the lock to push her and Ganondorf's blades to the side, allowing Link to give him a series of quick slashes at his stomach.

Ganondorf grunted as he was forced backwards. He managed to straighten himself again and swiped at Link, forcing Link to sidestep out of the way.

He then turned to face Zelda. She tried a series of quick strikes, which he parried expertly. She put her shoulders into a thrust, which he narrowly sidestepped.

She took a few steps back when she saw Link coming at Ganondorf. He punctuated his charge with a thrust, which Ganondorf stopped with the flat of his blade. Link took a few steps back, and with a war cry, hit him with a trademark spin attack.

In the meantime, Zelda went around Ganondorf and slashed him in the back—

Immediately he spun around to face the Princess. Their swords came at each other at the same time—

The resulting sound of steel clashing with steel made Zelda flinch. Her knees buckled as a force as heavy as buildings pressed down on her—

Ganondorf took a step forward and shoved her away, breaking the lock and sending her flying in the air—

Zelda flipped downward and within seconds was skidding on the grass. She dug her heels into the ground, and, trying to ignore the sweat dripping down her face, looked up—

And saw Link grunting and taking a step back after receiving a gash on his arm.

"No," she said. Heaving inhales and exhales, she rose to her full height and squared her shoulders.

She had to finish this. By the Goddesses, the Sages were here, waiting, and neither Link or her could afford to get hurt any longer—

She would finish this.

"For Hyrule," she said.

Zelda took a few steps forward—

She walked faster—

And then she was running—

Running, running, running straight at Ganondorf—

She raised the blade high over her head, prepared to bring it down on him—

The King of Evil turned around to face her and took a few steps back—

Zelda drew in a deep breath as she began to lower it. "For Hyru—"

And then Ganondorf plunged his sword deep into Zelda's ribs.

She froze.

The electrifying pain was so great that she couldn't even speak. Bit by bit, her arms inched down to her sides, and her fingers unraveled from her sword hilt. She felt warm, thick liquid blossom around her stomach.

Zelda raised her eyes to meet the Hero's. They were unblinking and clouded with disbelief.

"Link?" she said softly.

Another fresh round of pain raced through her veins when she felt Ganondorf extract his entire blood-stained blade out of her midsection. Reeling over, she hap hazardously took a few steps back as though she'd been pushed. Her mind struggled to comprehend her hazy surroundings, and she swayed—

Then she closed her eyes and fell to the ground.

"ZELDA!"

She groaned and cracked her eyelids open.

A shadow loomed into view. The figure brought his arms above his head. . . the figure's hands were wrapped around something pointing downwards. . . something long. . . something sharp. . .

A long, sharp blade, descending—

Another figure stormed into view and blocked the blade with his own.

Zelda slowly blinked—

Link was pulling the Master Sword out of the lock with Ganondorf. Like a flash, he slashed Ganondorf's shoulder, and then his hand, causing him to drop his sword, before kicking him backward with great strength.

His eyes stayed on Ganondorf for a moment. Then, as her eyes began to close, he darted over to her side.

Zelda vaguely felt a hand lift her head slightly. "Come on, Zelda," she heard. "Don't die, oh Goddesses, don't let Ganondorf win, don't you dare die—"

His words faded. Her head lolled to the side.

Maybe she should just . . . let herself drift away. . . drift into a world with no pain, no sorrow. . .

But no Brawlers.

No Hyrule.

No Link.

". . .take the Master Sword's hilt," she could hear him say. "Just take it and we'll finish him. We'll end this together."

Zelda's eyes opened a little.

She searched Link's face as the world came back into focus. Her eyes fell upon the Master Sword.

End this together. . .

She knew what she had to do.

And, she thought as her eyes opened completely, she would either do it, or she would die trying.

Zelda pushed herself up to a sitting position and enclosed her fingers around the hilt, just under Link's hand. She placed her other hand over her wound. Fighting the constant, never-ending pain, she forced herself up to her knees.

Then she placed the sole of one foot on the ground before she did the same thing with the other.

In moments, she was standing.

Zelda saw the groaning Ganondorf beginning to rise. Then she rotated her head to the right and locked eyes with Link—

She gave an almost imperceptible nod.

Link and Zelda turned back toward Ganondorf and started toward him.

Initially it wasn't much more than a walk, but then Zelda's small, stumbling steps became strides, and those strides became longer, stronger, and faster, faster and faster until they became a job, a run, a mighty sprint that propelled them straight toward their greatest enemy—

Ganondorf grinned and prepared to defend himself—

He never had the chance to. Together Zelda and Link plunged the Master Sword straight into his heart.

She let go of the hilt and took a few steps back as she heard Ganondorf give a deep bellow of pain. She bit her lip, holding back a cry of pain.

Then, before she could stop herself, she gently removed her hand from her wound before raising both of her arms into the air.

She summoned the greatest light from within herself-

Immediately she felt a bond with each and every one of the new Six Sages. She could sense their fears, feel their anticipation, and saw that they all knew exactly what they had to do. . .

It was time.

"Six Sages, now!"

From the corners of her eyes, Zelda could see them all raising their arms toward the sky just as she was. Then, overcome by pain and weariness, she was forced to lower her hands and clutch her side once more.

She heaved in an inhale. "Open the sealed door. . . and send the Evil Incarnation of Darkness into the Evil Realm!"

An orb of colored light materialized in each of the Sages' hands. Then they took off into the air, leaving behind a trail of color in their wakes and forming an intricate design high above the battlefield-

Then they all plunged down right at Ganondorf.

Within moments he was drowned in light, a light that only continued to expand, expand until it had consumed the battlefield and blinded Zelda-

"Curse you, Hero!" she heard Ganondorf roar. "Curse you, Princess! One day, I will personally spill your blood upon the desolated fields of Hyrule!"

Ganondorf emitted one last bloodcurdling roar-

And then it was all gone.

In less than a second, the light had completely faded, leaving Link and Zelda back at the battlefield. No more was there a fire encompassing them, and, no longer plunged into something, the Master Sword was falling to the ground.

And there was no Ganondorf.

He was gone.

They had won.


	31. Chapter 30: Farewell

**A/N: Well, here it is! The final chapter.**

**This makes me happy, because it's a very good last chapter that I really like, but it also saddens me because now RB is officially complete. So I guess finally posting this, after years of writing this story, produces this really bittersweet feeling.**

**As of now, there is no sequel planned. I believe that this is a very solid stand-alone story, and when it comes to sequels, I have a firm philosophy that sequels should only be written if it can be done properly. But, there is a new SSB game coming out pretty soon (!), and with it comes new characters and stages-so maybe there'll be a new idea. If it comes, and if I have the time, I'll write it. So I'm not going to say a definite no to a sequel.**

**In the meantime, if you want to check out other stuff I've written, then there's obviously some other fanfiction on my page that I've written. I'll also have an original novel named Fighting Fate that'll be up for sale on Amazon in September, so if you want more information on that, feel free to message me.**

**Now, to all of the reviewers-thank you Guest, Pandora151, Zeltra, Purestrongpoem, Seth Darkcloud, tswift1fan, AnriMia24, InkWoven, Vivi-ntvg, OrangeStreakedSpeaker, and Daisy Bokoblin. And I'm also going to thank all of the ones who have favorited and followed this, even just gave the first chapter a sparing glance. You guys are so, so great, and all of you are a big reason why this story has come so far. You guys have stuck with Zelda and Link and all the other characters to the very end, so once again, thank you. :) You all seriously rock.**

**And now, for the final chapter.**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 30: Farewell<span>

Each of Zelda's exhales racked her body. She swayed and couldn't stop herself from falling to one knee. She was grateful that she hadn't completely fallen down.

Wearily she lifted her head to look at the Sages. Many of them were smiling; Peach was grinning broader than ever before, Ike's squared shoulders and triumphantly crossed arms reeked strongly of confidence, and Krystal looked absolutely relieved.

Zelda looked to Link, who had reclaimed his Master Sword. She smiled a little, and her eyes softened—not with sympathy, not with pain, but with an emotion that she hadn't been able to express in the past, an emotion that she now readily embraced. . .

"Link," she said. "I—"

She accidentally stretched the wound too far. She cried out in pain and fell to her knees. The fatigue-fueled pain was so blinding that she almost could not even feel Link catching her when she fell to the side.

She swallowed back another cry. Her head spun around slightly. Blackness crawled its way from the edges of her vision to the center.

She had to tell him . . . she wanted to tell him. . .

"Link. . . I. . . I. . . I lo. . ."

The darkness eclipsed all light, leaving the words dangling off of her lips.

* * *

><p>The muffled sounded like she was hearing it while underwater.<p>

What was it?

What was this person saying?

Was it her name?

An oval crack cut into the darkness. The crack closed, and then opened again. The blackness lifted like a curtain being raised, and gradually she could make out her surroundings. An exquisite bedside table, supporting a platter with. . . With foods from the Smash Arena. . . Was that where she was? No, she was in the Hyrule Castle infirmary. . . Then why were all of those healing foods there?

The Sages must have brought them, she realized as the previous day's events came into memory.

Within seconds it had all come back to her. Arriving at Hyrule Castle after receiving word that Link had been captured, encountering Dark Sheik and finally defeating her after a rough fight, being reunited with Link, fighting Ganon, and then Ganondorf, the Sages arriving and being mortally wounded, stabbing Ganondorf, sealing him, and then just about to say something to Link before she had passed out-

First the Gerudo assassin had interrupted the near-kiss, then their duties had prevented them from trying anything else intimate, and then of course she'd passed out while trying to tell him something important. Could they ever catch a break?

Zelda groaned and rolled her head over to the other side-

And saw a very familiar tan, armored woman sitting on the edge of her bed.

She squinted. "I-Impa?"

Her handmaiden smiled. "It's good to see you awake, Your Highness."

Zelda didn't respond. Instead she attempted to launch herself up into a sitting position only to stop mid-way when pain lanced through her midsection. Thankfully, the pain was not as bad as it had been during the battle, but it was still enough to make her grimace.

Impa placed a hand on her good shoulder. "Careful, Zelda. You've been making a fast and effective recovery thanks to these strange nourishments, but you still must be careful."

Zelda tightened her lips and completed the sit-up. Then she flung her arms around Impa.

"I'm sorry," she said as she felt her arms hug her in return. "Impa, I'm so, so sorry."

"For what misgiving?"

"For leaving." Zelda's voice cracked, and she had to take a very deep breath before she had the strength to continue. "I should have never left Hyrule to go to Smash City-"

"But Your Highness, there is nothing to apologize for," Impa said simply.

She removed her arms from Zelda's waist and held her forearms, prompting Zelda to look up.

"If you hadn't ran away, then Ganondorf could have gotten you that much sooner," she said. "And just look at the woman you have become! Ultimately, your departure served for the better."

Zelda just nodded.

"I thought I'd lost you," she said quietly.

Impa's lips narrowed in sympathy. "I know. And I'm sorry that you were forced to go through that. But now everything is coming back together again. There's no need for sadness any longer."

She stood up from the bed and held her hand out to Zelda. "Are you able to stand?"

"I think so." She swung her legs over the bed's edge and stood up. A brief shot of pain raced through her body, but she felt fine after that.

Zelda lowered part of her shirt to inspect her wounded shoulder. Thick white bandages were wrapped around the wound. She tried moving it around a little—she only felt a small ache.

"My wounds have nearly recovered," she said in amazement. "How long have these had to heal? How long have I been unconscious?"

"A day or two," replied Impa. "You were kept sedated with herbs and other items from Smash City. One of the wounds was placed very close to your heart, and as such it nearly took your life. It needed time to heal."

"I see."

Zelda came to Impa's side and surprised herself when she had to look down a little to see her face. It seemed like not very long ago that she had only come up to the Sheikah's chest—now she was the same height as, if not taller than, Impa.

Impa began walking over to the door without Zelda quite realizing it. She quickly crossed over to her side and asked, "Where are we going?"

"To greet the Sages, of course."

Impa opened the door before she could respond. Zelda only had a moment to take in the violet-aisled hall and the Sages, both old and new, milling around before she was tackled by a hug.

"Zelda!" Peach said. "You're well! Thank goodness, I was so worried about you."

Zelda laughed. Then her midsection began throbbing more intensely, and she was forced to break away from her with a grimace. "I appreciate the concern. Just take it a little easy on the hugs—I'm not quite better yet."

"Oh, I'm so sorry—"

"It's quite alright, Peach." She smiled tenderly. "I must say again—thank you for everything you have done."

"Zelda?"

She identified the newcomer straightaway.

Krystal.

The vixen took a reluctant step toward her before becoming still. She opened her mouth to say something, but only closed it.

"Krystal," she said. "Krystal, there's—"

"I'm sorry," Krystal began abruptly. She lowered her head, cringing like she expected to be hit. "I'm so sorry, I should have never—I mean, Link was captured because—you had to suffer because of m—"

"Because Ganondorf blackmailed you," Zelda said firmly. "There really is not much that you need to answer for. You did what you could through the kind of duress that you were under."

Krystal nodded. Her throat tightened, then it loosened up again when she swallowed down a lump.

When she looked back up, there was the start of a smile on her face.

"Thank you."

A new voice, wise and ancient, arose before Zelda could respond. "It is truly a blessing to see that you are making a quick recovery, Your Highness."

She turned around to see an elderly, portly man draped in orange. The welcome coldness of respect frosted her insides.

"Rauru," she said. She dipped her head a single time. "I hope that I have done you and the other Sages proud."

"Well then, you may stop worrying about that," said Nabooru, joining in. "Know that you have indeed done just that."

Zelda felt another cold chill, this time sweeping down her back. She wanted to bid the Sage of Spirit a thank you in turn, but the words got stuck in her throat.

"Do you see now, Princess?" She looked down to see Meta Knight. "You have done great things, just as I said you could."

"Yes, indeed. Thank you, Meta Knight."

She took a step back so she could see all of the Sages. Sure enough, every single one of the Sages, both new and old, were gathered there, and every single one of them looked just as overjoyed to see her as she was to see them.

And in addition to being overjoyed, she was grateful.

"You. . . all of you. . ." she heard all of the Sages go quiet. She clasped her hands in front of her.

Zelda took a deep breath. "You all tell me that I'm great, or that you're proud of me, or that I have saved Hyrule. While this is all very much appreciated, you do need to realize that I have not done this alone. Really, I did almost nothing alone. I defeated Snake and won the Tournament only after receiving the support of many. I fought and dealt the final blow to Ganondorf alongside Link. Ganondorf has been sealed once more due to the efforts of all of the Sages. Why, the only reason I didn't die is because all of you came together and gave me the best treatment that you could. So yes, while I did do my best to save Hyrule, all of you held no small part. Six of you made it possible to save this country in the lost seven years, and six of you made it possible to save this country just a few nights ago."

Zelda turned her head and looked at each of the new Sages. "Thank you. All of you. For everything. You were all of great help. But now it is time for things to go back to the way they once were. Each one of you have distinct lives outside of Hyrule, and now all of the former Hylian Sages have been awakened once more. In order for them to carry on their duties, and in order for all of you to continue your lives at the Smash Mansion, they must have their power back."

She looked at the Brawlers. Some nodded, others simply conveyed understanding on their faces.

They were in agreement.

She closed her eyes. _O great Goddesses above. . . please. Help me restore everything to the way it once was._

For a moment, she received no response. Then she felt a warmth at the bottom of her stomach, like a burning candle lighting the darkness.

Zelda guided herself over to a slightly more open space after she decided on how she wanted to transfer the Sages' powers. "Ike? Darunia?"

Both of the Fire Sages crossed over to her. She placed a hand on Darunia's forehead and reached her other one forward as Ike came closer.

"You said 'in order for all of you to continue your lives at the Smash Mansion'," he said. "Like. . . almost as though you're not coming with us."

Zelda couldn't quite look at him in the eyes.

"Both of you, simply relax." She laid her palm on Ike's forehead. "This should be done fairly shortly."

She closed her eyes and swept away all of the thoughts in her head until her mind was clear. Then she reached out to Ike and summoned the Hylian power inside of him. It flowed up her arm without resistance, like a magnet. It ran through her chest and slid down her veins and into Darunia.

When she felt no trace of the power of the Sage of Fire inside of her, she opened her eyes and removed her hands from their foreheads. Both Ike and Darunia appeared to be a little fatigued, but otherwise fine.

Zelda cleared her throat after catching her breath herself. "All right, then. Pit? Rauru?"

* * *

><p>There was still someone that she hadn't managed to see.<p>

Once she had completed the transfers of the Sages' powers, she'd inquired Impa of his location, then had made her way through the castle until she located the place.

Zelda quietly entered the guest room and slowly walked to the open balcony. On it were none other than Link and Navi, with Link's lips breaking out into a wide grin after Navi said something.

She smiled as well. They seemed so happy. That was good. It was another sign that everything was becoming just the way it should be. . .

"Zelda!" Navi exclaimed.

The fairy zipped over to her in excitement as Link's head whipped around to see her.

"You're okay!" Navi said. "Oh, thank goodness, I was so worried, but you're okay, and—and—"

She gave a small giggle. "It's good to see you too, Navi."

"Hey! Link! Listen! Zelda's—"

Link's lips broke out into a grin. "I know. Trust me when I also say that I'm quite relieved."

Zelda's smile only got bigger. She walked over to the railing of the balcony and joined Link.

"How are you doing?" he said.

"It still does hurt a little, but with that aside, I'm fine."

Zelda looked up to meet his eyes. They rested on them for far longer than she intended.

"Erm, Navi?" Link said with only half of his usual attention. "Can you just leave us alone for a moment?"

"Hold on, why—oh. _Oh_. Oh, I see how it is."

That was when Link snapped out of it. Zelda couldn't help but giggle when his face burned. "No, Navi, it's not like that—"

"Yes, and Ganondorf was secretly a pretty pink princess. Don't worry, I'll be happy to give you all of the time you need."

"Navi, I swear—"

The fairy laughed then she flew across the room and out the door.

Link stared at the door for a moment, as if fully expecting Navi to reappear at any second. Then he relaxed and heaved a sigh.

Zelda looked out over Hyrule. From up on the balcony she could see the entrance that lead up to Hyrule Castle, and just beyond that she could make out the quaint buildings of Castle Town—

And a person or two milling about.

She raised her eyebrows. "Have the Hylians all. . ."

"Some of them," Link answered. "Word can spread around like wildfire. People know that Ganondorf's gone, so now there are people beginning to come back. Not many have arrived, but there are those who have."

She nodded and looked down. At the front gates of the castle were the Brawlers, with Ike adjusting a saddle on a tall, regal stallion and Peach already mounted on a pristine white horse, with Pit simply hovering above them, clearly joking around with some of the Brawlers.

"You're not going back, are you?" Link said.

Zelda shook her head. "Hyrule needs me. After everything that the Hylians have suffered through, they will need their ruler for leadership and counsel."

"I see."

"I'm sorry that I can't go back to Smash City with you—"

"Who said that I was going?"

Zelda turned around and looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"What?" Link said. "It's not as though I'd actually go back after realizing that I'm nee—"

He quit talking when she kissed him.

After what could have been sunset after sunset, they pulled away from each other. They stared at each other, breathless.

Then they heard a cheer from down below. "Well _that_ wasn't overdue at all!" Ike called.

Zelda's face went from a fiery red to an icy white.

Link raised his eyebrows. "It appears as though we have an audience."

She laughed shakily. "We certainly do."

"Well, at least they can't hear us from up here."

"What—"

"So what was it that you were trying to say? After Ganondorf was sealed, I mean. You sort of passed out before you could finish your sentence."

Suddenly she found that she couldn't say anything.

"Well?"

Zelda rested her hand on the railing and looked at it like it could offer her refuge. "Personally, I don't really think that it needs to be said."

"Maybe not, but it sure did look like you wanted to."

He was right. She did. She really did.

And she still wanted to.

"Fair enough." She smiled. "I love you, Link."

He nodded. He tried and failed to suppress a ridiculously large smile.

Link cleared his throat and looked at her in her eyes. "And I love you, Zelda."

Now it was her turn to smile ridiculously.

He took a deep breath. "You know how they said that the kiss was long overdue?"

"Yes?"

"How about we make up for it?"

"I don't see why not."

And then Link kissed her.

"Come on," he said after they finally broke apart. "I'd say it's time to say goodbye to the Brawlers."

He was right. It really was time.

Zelda couldn't deny that this saddened her. She would miss the thrill of the Brawls, the comforts of the Smash Mansion, and especially everyone that she had met.

But like a phoenix, beginnings rose out of the ashes of endings. Now that she and Link had at last acted upon the true extent of their bond, there was new territory to be discovered in their relationship. Hyrule was just beginning to piece itself back together again, and Zelda knew that she would play a pivotal role in its reconstruction.

Soon, Hyrule would become a proud nation once more.

And what after then?

She didn't know. But she was ready to face whatever was next.

"Yes," Zelda said. "I'd reckon that it is."

* * *

><p>Throughout the years, several stories have been told and legends passed on through the generations. Many of them recount the forces of good and evil clashing, with hopes tested and losses endured through, and at the center of these tales is a chosen Hero, clad in green.<p>

But one legend stands apart from the rest. This legend primarily features not the famous Hero, but rather a certain Princess. It tells of how this Princess fought to protect what was close to her, triumphed over great odds, and ultimately evolved into a Hylian of the finest caliber.

It is a legend of a Princess. It is a legend of a Wisdom Bearer.

A legend of Zelda.

_End of Royal Brawler_


End file.
